


Beyond Reality

by SKayLanphear



Category: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Canon, Canon Related, Dreams, Fluff, Post-Canon, Reunion, Romance, Sequel, Summons, Violence, Zanarkand, aeons, fayth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-25 00:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 152,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4939354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SKayLanphear/pseuds/SKayLanphear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after defeating Sin, Yuna and her friends are asked to investigate the Farplane, which seems to have been put out of balance. However, upon doing so, they're whisked off to another reality. Not just any reality, but the one and only Zanarkand. It's hard for them all to believe, and even harder to comprehend upon coming across old acquaintances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hating to Love You

She didn't know what to make of it.

It'd been three days—three days since they'd done the impossible—yet still she felt as though she was dancing in the skies, elevated above reality. Probably because a great deal of her didn't want to face that reality. Yes, she'd given her speech, she'd gone home. But still she sat and wondered, constantly, if all of it was real. And with this thought process came the considerations about whether the honesty of the situation was something she truly desired or not.

Sin was gone. Forever. Certainly this was something to be rejoiced. But, she figured, that was something she didn't know how to do. All her life, she'd seen her path set out before her. Become a summoner; defeat Sin.

Die.

She hadn't planned to be around for the celebration, so she hadn't anticipated it. Every night there were parties, people out in the village ecstatic over Spira's freedom. Yet even as she considered it, she couldn't get over all she'd lost. She hadn't anticipated loss. No, she was supposed to be gone. She wasn't prepared for such grieving. But it was there, inside of her, waiting to be realized.

When they'd defeated Yunalesca, decided to act out against expectations, they'd all been pushed beyond their comfort zones. The adrenaline had been pumped into them, the excitement of rebelling, of risking their lives on one fool attempt, had thrust them all forward. And he'd been there, leading the way, revering in the feeling. She'd trusted him, supposed it was in his nature to charge onward as he had.

She hadn't seen herself in his actions.

It hadn't been belief and desperation that had spurred him, like it had the rest of them, but numbness. When had he acquired it, she wondered? Or perhaps it'd always been there and she'd been too numb herself to sense it. He'd always known things they hadn't—him and Sir Auron. And when she'd been released of her chains in Zanarkand, his had tightened.

It'd happened in Gagazet, she'd decided. That was when she'd noticed the change the most.

His lack of feeling.

Not in the sense of emotions, but in life. He'd become more reckless. Not careless, but direct, perhaps, in his intentions. He'd stopped giving in and had proposed they fight. Because he'd known, somehow, that the system was wrong. He'd been put on Spira, she realized, to change that. To be the piece that altered them all.

She wasn't the only one mourning his loss. He'd affected them all a great deal. He'd been Wakka's best friend and his loss had been like losing Chappu all over again. A brother to Rikku; a brother, perhaps, to Lulu, who had adopted him as the older woman had herself. Even Kimahri had admired him. It'd been shocking, to realize that he'd had intentions hidden behind all their reckless actions. That he'd had his own agenda.

Like she had, he'd become numb to life, pushing forward if only to reach the end.

He'd exchanged his life for her own.

It angered her, the hypocrisy of it all. That he'd dared be hurt over her choice at being a summoner when he had decided to cast himself off as well. And that he had robbed her of such a fate. Because, had it not been for him, all would have panned out as she'd expected. She might have married Seymour, she might have not, but she would have called the Final Aeon, become High Summoner, and been remembered as gallantly as her father. Instead, he'd dropped into their world and put ideas of hope and tolerance that none of them had even considered before. He'd plagued them with his ignorance and goodness, only to prove that, in the end, he'd been as knowledgeable as they had all thought they'd been. He'd dooped them with his selfish ideals of self-preservation only to cast himself off in the end.

She didn't admire him for it.

He could have been honest, told them what he was. They could have found another way, as he'd convinced them to do with her. But no, he'd kept it all to himself. She'd seen hint of it a few times, during his discussions with the fayth and his hardened determination. But none of it had been able to get past the newness of being able to consider things outside their small box.

He'd spoken to the fayth as if they'd had personal connections—as if they'd known each other. He'd suffered a vision in Gagazet, as she had in the cloister so many times before. He'd known of Sir Jecht's true form. Yet she'd simply placed all her faith in his ability to make everything better, to save them from themselves. She'd trusted him completely, which had been her mistake.

She should have questioned him, but he'd blinded them all.

Part of her hated him.

What right did he have, an outsider, to give his life to save anyone's? Spira wasn't his home. He hadn't witnessed the suffering and the death as they had all through their lives. Who was he to make such a move?

Who had he been?

 _What_  had he been?

She didn't… understand any of it…

And because of that, in her confused turmoil caught between love, hate, and grief, she waited.

She wandered down to the Besaid beach, she waded her ankles into the sea, and she whistled.

She cried out to no reply.

Silence.

"Yunie?" Turning her head over her shoulder, she blinked as she spotted her cousin standing beside the curtain that led into her hut. She had a look of uncertainty about her, tense agitation they all felt when addressing each other after such a dramatic show of selfish self-sacrifice.

Hatred and grief aside, they were all fully aware that he'd saved them. In a thousand more ways than one.

"What is it?" Yuna replied, pushing a small smile onto her face.

"I just…" Rikku came fully into the room, dressed in a light green, Besaid-patterned summer dress that had been gifted to her upon arrival, as had many other things. Yuna had received many such wares herself, the array stacked up in her room in a disorganized mess that, perhaps to more intuitive individuals, mirrored her state of mind. "I was wondering if you wanted to come out to the celebration tonight. The sun's setting and most of the villagers are back from harvesting." The fruit that grew on Besaid—a very desired commodity and a main source of income for the villagers. "I think that… that people are growing anxious."

Because she'd rarely made appearances at such things since the calm had started, which was quite the opposite of what was expected.

"I'll come," she assured despite how her body cried out against it. Rikku smiled in relief at her agreement and Yuna, as if pulling herself from quicksand, stood from her position on her bed before slowly gracing her bare feet around the room to meet her cousin. She was wearing a long, white beach dress, the fabric so much lighter than her summoner garb that she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to feel about wearing it.

But it hadn't seemed appropriate to wear the robes of a profession she'd never belong to again.

"It'll be okay," Rikku assured quietly with a soft, sympathetic smile as she linked arms with Yuna. Together, they pulled the curtain aside and headed out into the orange of the setting sun. Already, in the middle of the village, Yuna could see a fire being puffed, the villagers gathered around with happy expressions and joyous conversation. Lulu and Wakka were there was well, standing some two feet away from each other and pretending the distance was much larger than they both secretly preferred.

As if the pilgrimage had been a giant weight off of everyone, they too had shed their guardian attire, Lulu wearing long robes of dark purple while Wakka sported only the jean bottoms of his uniform and his trademark headband.

They were all so… bare.

"Yuna," Lulu cooed softly as the two cousins made their way over. She welcomed Yuna with open arms, straightening her hair as she always did when she was worried. "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Her voice was quiet, none of the villagers able to hear despite how they gawked. Most knew Yuna very well however, and so only stared out of concern for her recent depression.

Because not even she could deny she was depressed, for more reasons than she herself knew.

"I'll be alright," Yuna assured as she reached up and took Lulu's wrist in her hand. Gently, she pulled her adopted sister's fingers from her person, not wanting to be fussed over. All three of her guardians frowned, but didn't comment, and as Yuna sensed the shadow of Kimahri approach from behind, she felt relief at being before his protective presence. A comfort she'd taken since childhood.

"Oh no," Rikku stated a few seconds later. "Here comes Pops again." She rolled her swirling green eyes, Yuna turning to watch as both her Uncle Cid and her other cousin (Brother?) waltzed over. They garnered no odd stares from the villagers despite their status as Al Bhed. Since Yuna's lineage had been revealed, they'd all decided to accept their presence, if only because Cid, Brother, and Rikku were related to the High Summoner and must, therefore, not be held accountable for their own race. Rather, they were quite liked in the blindness of their position.

"Yuna!" her uncle announced gruffly upon seeing her. "'Bout time you showed your face!" He came right over, smiling broadly down at her. "Can't say I'm sorry to be able to still see that pretty face." Because all her uncle had been making reference to since their return was the fact that Yuna hadn't died defeating Sin. He seemed to consider it a personal kind of accomplishment.

"It's good to see you as well," Yuna replied civilly and bowed only slightly.

"Leave her alone Pops!" Rikku reprimanded, bounding forward and shoving her father by the shoulder. He stumbled back a pace in surprise. "She doesn't want your breath all over her." Cid appeared momentarily affronted, but hardly capable of standing up to his daughter, as was typical.

"I wasn't tryin' to be offensive," he eventually defended, sounding slightly wounded. "I was only-"

"Cid!" They all turned their heads to see that it was the head summoner, or previous summoner, of the temple that called out. He was grinning, greeting the Al Bhed with far more gusto than a man of the cloth really should. But much had happened, Yuna supposed. "I was wondering when you'd turn up." Ample amounts of the village's attention had fallen to the exchange at this point, children creeping forth with curiously expectant looks on their faces.

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Just walked up from the beach," Cid assured, quickly regaining his good countenance.

"Good, good!" the ex-summoner nodded. "The sun was setting and the kids were getting impatient."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Cid laughed. "Don't want to disappoint the kids now do we?'" Or the adults for that matter, who had been waiting with less patience than perhaps they'd like to admit for Cid to show up.

"What's going on?" Yuna asked Lulu quietly, not failing to see how the faces of all her guardians had dropped as the conversation had progressed. Dark wine eyes flicking to her, Lulu pursed her lips before quietly relaying an answer.

"Last night, Cid started to tell the story of how we defeated Sin," Lulu explained. "Or the parts he knows anyway. In any case, he didn't finish and the whole town is waiting to hear." Yuna felt her own mood drop more than it already had, but as the villagers began to crowd up around them, she realized she couldn't very well leave. It'd be too much of an insulting interruption and would no doubt spoil the mood of the evening. She didn't want to ruin the celebration.

"Tell us, tell us!" a few children chanted and Cid, smiling the whole way, turned to address them directly.

"Well where was I?" he asked even though he was, no doubt, fully aware of the answer. "Ah yes, we'd just initiated our genius plan of action." Someone, Yuna hadn't seen who, had brought up a chair for her to sit in, as if she should want to remain and relive something she'd experienced only some days prior.

Smiling gratefully, she sat down.

"We had everyone in Spira singing," Cid continued. "We were pacifying Sin, see," and no one questioned how this worked, for not even Cid could really comprehend how Sir Jecht played into all this. He wasn't as personally acquainted with the situation as the summoner and her guardians. "And it was workin,' so we flew in, my little Yuna and her guardians ready for battle!"

"But weren't you scared?" one of the smallest children asked from his position sitting directly in front of Cid.

"Scared? 'Course not!" Cid lied. "The only thing I feared was my daughter and niece gettin' hurt, but I knew they were in good hands. See, unbeknownst to them two," her jerked his thumb their way and Rikku crossed her arms haughtily over her chest, "I'd made sure to ask the best guardian of em' all to keep an eye on em.'" Both Wakka and Lulu furrowed their brows, which wasn't exactly a new reaction to Cid's telling of the whole battle. "See, back when we were fightin' with Yevon, he'd made me a promise to find a way to save my little niece, and then he'd gone through and done it, so I knew I could trust him. Never met a young man so determined to keep to his word. I knew he'd put himself in front of both of them before he'd let anything happen."

Yuna pursed her lips and glanced down at the dirt. Neither she nor Rikku, based on the sour look on her cousin's face, had been aware that such a promise had been made. Since when had he become such a highly regarded asset to have? When had this transformation taken place?

Why hadn't Yuna seen it before?

"Who was he?" an older girl, probably in her early teens, questioned. "You talked about him yesterday, but I don't know who he is." Because they all knew Wakka and Lulu, and Kimahri, and Rikku now. And they'd all known of Sir Auron. But who was this other man? One most of them had seen in Besaid those two days when he'd first arrived, but probably hardly remembered…

"Who was he?" Cid sounded affronted. "Why, he's the best guardian there ever was." Because Cid held him in very, very high esteem at this point. What he'd done had touched them all beyond words.

"Better than Sir Auron?" a quiet voice asked.

"Sure was!" Auron and Cid had never gotten along very well. "Sir Tidus had him beat, no doubt about that." His name being mentioned so carelessly nearly made Yuna flinch. She didn't miss how all her guardians had quickly glanced down at her. "Bravest young man I ever met."

"Where is he?" the girl asked.

"Well you have to let me finish the story," Cid reasoned, though there was a trail of sadness in his voice as he considered. "I wasn't there myself, but I heard the whole thing from my daughter. They beat their way into Sin, got inside the beast itself, and there, waiting for them, was the Final Aeon."

"The Final Aeon?" a few young voices gasped, everyone in the village intent on hearing as well.

"Yup!" Cid affirmed. "Cuz you see, Sin comes back because, after the Final Aeon destroys it, it's reborn from that very aeon. So they had to fight their way through Lord Braska's Final Aeon." Again, the parts about Jecht were left out. "And after that, they had to fight the worst of all.

"Yu Yevon." He said the name with a sense of airs that left everyone wanting to hear more. "He was the first summoner to ever call on Sin and the one that's been calling it ever since." The short way of putting things perhaps.

"How did they beat him?"

"With bravery and courage of course!" Cid said it as if it was obvious.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the young woman, who was quickly becoming infatuated with the idea of the guardian, asked.

"He was the bravest of all," Cid replied sincerely, none of the other guardians having any qualm with the notion. He had, after all, led the charge and always been the first to confront the enemies within. It was his perseverance that they'd followed. Alongside Yuna's drive and determination.

"They fought and defeated Yu Yevon. And with him gone, Sin began to crumble away. Which is where the Lady Summoner comes in," he glanced up at Yuna then, the entire village looking to her, and she forced a small smile. "It was her job to send Sin so it could never come back. She used all her strength to do it, sending all the fayth and aeons with it, making it impossible for Sin to ever come back."

The clearing was awed into silence then.

"Sin was gone, the heroes had succeeded," he was sparing no excess. "But some didn't make it through. Sir Auron left this world with the fayth, a brave and honorable guardian." His tone had become somber as he'd realized, finally, that in bringing up the whole story, he'd actually have to end it.

In typical Cid fashion, he found that it was now too late to regret having started what he'd have to finish.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the girl asked again.

At this, however, Cid opened his mouth to no words. Mostly because he was as confused as the rest of his crew over what had happened to the young man. The only thing he truly knew was that he'd sacrificed himself to bring about their peace, though the details eluded him.

"Sir Tidus, well…" Cid scratched his bald head before, somewhat helplessly, glancing over at Yuna and her guardians.

He didn't know what to say.

An awkward, expectant silence fell over the crowd. Especially since a spare few of those present knew who Tidus was. Specifically, the Aurochs, who'd spread his valor on the blitzfield to nearly everyone in the village. He had been, after all, the one that had led them to victory in the first three fourths of the tournament game and, had it not been for the plays he'd initiated and the goals he'd scored, they might have lost, even with Wakka coming in at the end. Though few were making the connection that the young man Cid was talking of and the one that had played in Luca were one and the same, a few could.

Lulu sighed.

"Sir Tidus is gone," she stated firmly, drawing all the attention her way. "He was all the things that Cid has said, and more, and he sacrificed his life to save Spira from Sin. Without him, we never would have made it as far. He was a favorite of the fayth, was Sir Jecht's son," whispers broke out then, "and left this world with both valor and courage."

"He… died?" the young girl asked, the only of the children brave enough to break the silence that followed Lulu's speech. Yuna closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words circling around her.

"…Yes." Lulu sounded only vaguely uncertain. "He… he died."

"But how?" the little girl continued to press, the expectant faces of everyone else who wanted to hear the full story weighing down on them all.

Lulu wasn't quite sure what to say. "Well, he…" She tried to come up with something believable, that the general public could comprehend, but the words wouldn't come.

Yuna, ignoring how her head raged, flicked her eyes back open and glanced up at them all.

"Sir Tidus died protecting the people of Spira." Yuna's voice rang out stronger than she'd expected, her guardians glancing down at her in surprise. "Protecting all of us." She placed her hand on her chest, as if the motion should signify herself. But really she was willing her heart to stop trying to pound out of her chest. "A hero's death. That's how he died." The words sounded foreign on her tongue, like lies, and they tasted bad even as she said them, no matter the truth of the matter.

The whole thing disgusted her.

Unable to take the pressure any longer, she rose to her feet. Pulling her eyes from the villagers, she paused for only a moment before turning and heading back toward her hut.

She retreated, her ears hearing only a few more words before she was safely back in her room.

"But  _how_  did he die?" the young woman asked.

There was no response.

**oOo**

Over the course of the next few weeks, as the story spread like wildfire from Besaid, dozens of accounts on who exactly Sir Tidus had been and what he'd done differed from one person to the next. A lack of full story had made way for the imaginations of everyone in Spira, who were always more apt to focus on the dead rather than the living. His history flew between a reckless wild-child with Al Bhed characteristics to a seasoned monk who'd given up his religion for the greater good. As to what he looked like, he seemed to have inherited every feature ever imagined. His age, too, was debated. Some believed him to have at least been as old as Sir Auron, while others argued that he couldn't be much more than a child, what with his supposed rebellious ways.

When these rumors reached those who had actually met him, the preposterous nature of the words affronted them all greatly. They went about setting the record straight, new rumors flying and bouncing back in return. He was labeled to be between the age of sixteen and twenty-one, of solid build, and handsome features only befitting such a hero. However, upon such facts being verified, new rumors began flying about until it had been quite decided that the reason High Summoner Yuna had been keeping to herself was because the two had been deeply in love and he'd given up his life to save her own, which, though perverse in some respects, really wasn't that far from the truth. They were soon being compared to the likes of Yunalesca and Lord Zaon, a tragic love story that would go down in history. Poor Sir Tidus had died too young and the High Summoner would die alone, always thinking of him, or young of heartbreak, whichever version suited the teller.

Soon statues of the two were being commissioned for every temple, the artisans setting to work. It wasn't that difficult to depict the High Summoner, for nearly everyone had a sphere of her by that point, but they ran into considerable difficulty when it came to Sir Tidus, who's description got as detailed as "well, he was good-looking." It was for this reason that, about a year after Sin's defeat, they set out for Besaid, determined, in the defense of art, to get a clear idea of what he looked like from the High Summoner herself.

Yuna, however, was not prepared for such a visit or to hear of the rumors that had now concreted themselves all over Spira.

"Which is why we've come to you High Summoner," the artisans defended as they bowed in respect before she and her guardians. "To get a clear idea of how he really appeared. For, as he was so dear to you, you must want an accurate interpretation to be made." Yuna, however, being so affronted and shocked at the personal questions, had had no choice but to leave them, not prepared to answer such inquiries nor to hear of the rumors now circulating all over Spira about her and a certain young man. Instead, flustered, Rikku had tried to give them the answers they'd wanted, but the damage had already been done. Certainly, they got the best description of Tidus they were likely to get, but their audacity in approaching the High Summoner about such matters gave others the entitled courage to try the same and, soon, there were writers and reporters showing up in Besaid every day.

Yuna didn't know what to do about it. They all wanted to hear about the one subject she didn't want to think about. She was exhausted and felt impressed upon in her own home. She tried to help some of them, but the questions became so personal that she was soon left speechless and having to remove herself, which only spurred more drama about her heartbreak and depression, which then pulled more people to Besaid.

Even the villagers were growing fed up.

"I just want to kick all those reporters out of here!" Rikku announced one afternoon, despite how much of an invader she too was when considering Besaid. But she was one of the High Summoner's guardians, which seemed to clear her of all charges. Besides, she was gone off with the Al Bhed a good part of the time. "Can't even walk across the village without getting mobbed. I didn't even know huts could be built as fast as they are." Because the guests had to have somewhere to stay, so Besaid was expanding at a pretty incredible rate.

"It is rather ridiculous," Lulu agreed from her position sitting on the other side of the hut, a pair of Wakka's pants in her hands as she sewed up the hole. The very man sat on the floor beside her, quite irritated with the whole thing.

"It should be against the rules, ya?" he stated in a huff. "Invadin' the island. I oughta…"

"They're only curious," Yuna defended quietly despite her exhaustion.

"It's none of their business," Rikku stated, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How would they like-"

"Excuse me." They were all silenced by a voice outside the hut. "My Lady?" They knew the voice. It was Shelinda, a young woman they'd met on the road. "I know no one is supposed to bother you while you're inside, but I-"

"It's alright," Yuna assured. "You are a friend, Shelinda." She must have travelled a considerable distance to come to Besaid. She always had been a bit of a wanderer, however.

Hesitantly, the young woman entered, immediately praying and bowing as a sign of respect to Yuna, who didn't return the gesture. Her religion, among many other things, was shattered and irreparable.

"What brings you all this way?" Lulu asked curiously, not rising from her seat. Being visited every day had made them all quite lazy when it came to courtesy. They much preferred to just keep on as they were, seeing as no one was likely to take offense. And if they were, they were hardly worth the summoner and guardians' time.

"I do not wish to bother any of you," she made perfectly clear, obviously having taken note of the camps inside the village. "I have been sent from Bevelle, My Lady," she addressed Yuna directly, "with an urgent message from Yevon."

Yuna frowned.

"Shelinda, I respect what you do, but I have no intention of affiliating myself with Yevon." She didn't mean to be harsh, but after everything she'd learned and been through, those still in tandem with the teachings were the last she wanted to work with—her friends and good acquaintances along her pilgrimage exceptions of course.

"I know." Shelinda sounded almost embarrassed then, perhaps for her own foolish trust in Yevon, which was being exposed more and more every day. Yet still she stood by, hoping to find some kind of hope to halt her religious confusion. A plight many were attempting to deal with all across Spira. "I do not come with a message in representation of Yevon, but rather a plea."

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"After Lord Seymour left the priesthood, the guado, who feared for their lives upon realizing that you'd defeated Sin, fled in the hopes of escaping the wrath of anyone who deemed their previous behavior unforgivable." Yuna frowned. "I was put in charge of investigating Guadosalam and the Farplane, under Yevon's orders. However…" She pursed her lips then.

"What is it, Shelinda?" Lulu encouraged.

"Oh it's so strange," she verified shakily. "It seems that… that since Sin was defeated, the Farplane has been set in a state of turmoil. I sent some disciples to investigate and was told later, by those who watched, that some of their party were swallowed by the Farplane. No one can enter and those too close have suffered when it… it surges forth. We fear it may continue to spread and wreak havoc on all of Spira.

"Oh Lady Summoner, you must help us!"

Yuna, blinking, tried to find something to say, as did her guardians.

Shelinda continued before they could find words however. "You must know something My Lady. You, who found the way to rid Spira of Sin forever…" It was quickly becoming apparent that coming to Yuna was a desperate attempt to find an answer.

"Shelinda, I… I don't know… anything…" Had she ever known anything? It all seemed like a hectic dream now, her pilgrimage. Had she ever done anything right? Or known any truths?

"But… what are… what are we to do…?" Shelinda looked on the verge of tears then, her head bowed.

"What of Yevon's leaders?" Lulu tried to find something, anything. "Certainly there must be something in the teachings that can guide you in this?" Something about the Farplane. A history perhaps?

"Yevon does not…" Shelinda sighed. "Yevon is in turmoil. Leadership falls to no one and I fear fighting make break out. And those of us who are trying to find answers have found very little in the teachings, despite having access to that which we never did before." She sighed. "Lady Yuna," she looked back to the High Summoner. "I do not come to you now as a disciple of Yevon, but as a citizen of Spira. I do… we don't know what to do."

Her head fell in defeat.

It was then that Yuna realized just how torn Spira had become in response to she and her guardians' actions. No one was leading anyone, power was being fought over, and for those who were afraid, she was the closest thing they had to a leader.

The weight of the world hadn't been lifted at all.

"We could go check it out." Rikku shrugged. "I mean, it is a little disconcerting. Even the Al Bhed view the Farplane as being… sacred."

Lulu looked to Yuna. "It'd be a good excuse to get away for a while."

Yuna pursed her lips, considering the idea before glancing back up at Shelinda. She offered the young woman a reassuring smile.

"Of course we'll see what we can do."

**oOo**

"Is the Lady Summoner alright?" Shelinda asked as they descended the ramp of the airship. They'd landed just outside Guadosalam, in the Moonflow, and Shelinda questioned Lulu as they walked toward the city.

"She will be," Lulu decided as they turned to wait on Yuna and Rikku, who'd come last from the airship.

"Does she grieve the loss of…?" Shelinda tried to ask, but a look from Lulu warned her from continuing as the group came together. Yuna shed less and less tears every day, every month now, but the hurt was still there in all of them. The loss and emptiness. And unanswered questions.

"To the Farplane then, ya?" Wakka decided as they all, Yuna, her guardians, and Shelinda, began to walk toward the entrance to Guadosalam. As they descended down into the dimly lit village, Yuna was struck by the emptiness. No guado at all—only a few Yevon disciples standing and waiting for their arrival. They didn't say anything upon seeing Yuna however, the uneasiness of the situation making them all tense with silence.

It was disconcerting to the entire party.

They followed Shelinda, around the winding paths until they reached the one that led up to the Farplane, where a few yevonites stood guard. They didn't attempt to stop Yuna and her guardians as they passed on, merely stared at them and remained tensely silent. The unevenness in the air was palpable.

"I've already got the creeps," Rikku said, holding more tightly to Yuna's arm. Yuna ignored the comment however, instead registering how the temperature had dropped to a chilling level, goosebumps running up and down her arms. There was definitely something very wrong. She didn't have to see the Farplane to know that. It was in the air, affecting everything. It felt heavy even, and left her with the familiar feeling of anxiety she'd felt just before entering the cloister of trials.

"We shouldn't go much further," Shelinda warned as they slowed to a stop. "It's not safe…"

"But we can't even seen anything, ya?" Wakka crossed his arms over his chest. What he said was true, after all. They were only about halfway down the narrow, cave-like path that went to the Farplane. They couldn't even see it, their destination. Yet they couldn't entirely blame Shelinda for her feelings either. There was a wariness about the passage that warned them to turn around and not come back.

"People have disappeared further back than this," Shelinda glanced back over her shoulder. Yuna, watching her, could easily sense that she was scared. Yuna herself wasn't exactly feeling comfortable with the situation, but she'd faced worse auras than this. Namely, Sin. Yet Shelinda had never been through such hardships and couldn't be expected to act into such an understanding.

Yuna placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"It's alright," Yuna comforted. "You can go back. We'll be fine."

"But My Lady!"

"Yuna's right," Lulu offered, her tone as velvety as ever. "We've dealt with worse." Shelinda didn't look totally convinced, but as she stared down the passageway, her unease seemed to overtake her. Turning to Yuna, she nodded before slowly heading back the way they'd come.

And though she didn't say as much to the High Summoner and her guardians, she had the mysterious feeling that she was being chased from the corridor. Unwanted.

"Well, should we keep goin?'" Wakka asked, the group still staring down the passage.

"I don't think we have much choice," Lulu stated and, apparently in agreement, the group slowly stepped onward. "I find it odd however, how Shelinda described what has happened. That the Farplane has… swallowed people." It seemed an odd thing to imagine, or even fathom. As if the Farplane had a consciousness and actions.

"I dunno." Rikku had released Yuna and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands up and down in an attempt to stay warm. She was, after all, only wearing a yellow sun dress, though she was armed (all of them were. They'd learned never to go anywhere uncertain without weapons). "The farther we walk, the more I'm starting to believe it." That was, that something was there, trying to persuade them to turn around.

"You don't think it could be an unsent causing this, do you?" Lulu asked, glancing back at Yuna.

"I was considering that," Yuna agreed. "Though this seems awfully…"

"Extensive," Lulu concluded and Yuna nodded.

"Gives me the heebie-jeebies…" Rikku continued to conclude. Nothing had reached out and attempted to eat them alive however, or whatever it was that was happening. Though it did get colder and colder until, as they rounded the corner that would allow them a view of the Farplane, it was nearly as cold as Mt. Gagazet.

"Look at that," Wakka pointed up the stairs to the entrance to the Farplane. "What in the…"

"What does it mean…?" Rikku's question went unanswered. The Farplane, before them, was a completely different picture than the last time they'd seen it. No longer was it a patient, solemn place to visit past loved ones. No, it was dark and chaotic, strips of white lightening zipping through it and sparking off the entrance, as if trying to break through.

And in some places it had. The stairs were in disrepair, missing chunks, and there were cracks in the barrier between the real world and that of the dead. As if, perhaps, the lightning had struck and slipped through to steal away those that approached before springing back in.

"Oh man…" Rikku murmured.

"What should we do?" Yuna was questioning herself more that her guardians.

"Do you think this… maybe has something to do with the… influx of souls?" Lulu turned to Yuna. "You saw how many pyreflies there were when you sent Sin. And if our… understanding of the… dream is… correct, then there was thousands of… people," had they been? "in that Zanarkand." In the dream they'd never seen.

"It's possible," Rikku agreed. "I mean, when… when Tidus… when he disappeared, he…" He went as any dead person had, in a show of pyreflies. "Maybe it's all too much to hold in there…"

"But… what do we do…?" Yuna asked herself once again, answers eluding her. What else could they do, other than wait and see what happens? They had no control over this, or any idea of what was even happening. Perhaps, given time, the Farplane would settle, be able to balance out the souls.

But it was still just a guess, an idea, which was no help to them.

Abruptly, a huge snap of lightning burst inside the dome, cracking loudly and harshly enough to shake the ground on which they stood, all of them stumbling in surprise as Rikku yelped. Yuna, however, whose eyes had been trained on the barrier, found herself gaping as the light flashed and zigzagged through the Farplane.

"Did you see that?" she asked.

"Yes," Lulu verified quickly.

"It was…" Wakka shook his head. "It looked like a city."

"A huge city…" Rikku awed. In the bright flash of light, they'd all blatantly seen the outline—unmistakable. "You don't think that, I mean…" Rikku was attempting to summarize all their thoughts. "That when you sent Sin, I mean… When people are in the Farplane, we can beckon them up and they appear. Do you think that the city…?"

"Zanarkand," Yuna verified with a deep breath. "When I sent the fayth's dream…" Had the city remained intact, or reformed perhaps, upon entering the farplane, as people did?

"This is crazy." Wakka shook his head. "H-hey Yuna! Don't go near it!" His warning was too late however, Yuna already approaching the stairs.

"Maybe…" Yuna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Maybe it hasn't been swallowing people, but… but taking them. Maybe they get too close and end up…"

"In Zanarkand?" Rikku finished.

"Maybe this is how… how he got to Spira," Yuna continued. "Only through Sin instead of the farplane…"

"Yuna," Lulu's voice was reprimanding and she turned to her adopted older sister. "Don't get your hopes up about this." Because, despite how she failed to voice it, they could all see where her thoughts were. Where all their thoughts were. "We have no idea what this means."

"I know," Yuna verified as she turned back to the farplane. "I'm not." Which was true. Part of her wanted to see Tidus, while another part of her hated him and never even wanted to think of him ever again. Though, perhaps, that all led back to…

No, she couldn't think about it. About  _that_  emotion.

"So… what do we do now?" Rikku asked. Yuna, however, had already been thinking the same thing. Considering the situation, she reached down and, taking a deep breath, tossed a piece of rubble into the portal that had originally been the entrance to the Farplane.

Upon making contact, it vanished inside, all of them watching with bated breath. There was a static-like flash where it had been thrown, and was gone just as quickly. As if being grabbed up upon making contact.

Yuna pursed her lips.

"What if it kills us?" Rikku asked, quite positive she knew where everyone's thoughts were. After all, the only way they were really going to know was if they went in. It seemed highly dangerous however, none of them too apt to attempt it.

"The only way to know is to go ourselves," Yuna murmured quietly, the group falling momentarily silent. Fleetingly, she thought of Kimahri, who had left for Mt. Gagazet some months before to help rebuild the ronso home. If he were there, he'd no doubt disapprove of Yuna's closeness. But he wasn't—there was no one there to hold her back.

"So are we goin' to go in or not?" Wakka asked, the group turning to face each other as they considered. It was, after all, a potentially life or death decision to make. The safer bet would be to investigate and see if they could find anything out, not just head in and hope for the best.  _That_  would be reckless. Yuna, realizing this, turned back to the entrance, and, approaching slowly, alarmed her friends until they saw that she had no intention of entering. They still didn't like what she was doing, however.

"Be careful, Yunie," Rikku encouraged as Yuna stopped just before the entrance. Hesitantly, she reached out and, careful not to actually go through, allowed her hands to shimmy over the surface of the barrier.

And as she did, an incredible sound took her breath away.

"I can hear them," she breathed, her hand still barely touching the barrier as she did. "The hymn. The hymn of the fayth. They're singing." The song brought upon her a menagerie of emotions, all mixed up with abrupt excitement. Like the hole in her heart was being momentarily tempered. Yet, in the same moment, a realization brought her high to a bitter low, creating a rather nostalgically sad kind of attitude to her. "But they didn't want to sing anymore…"

"The fayth sing when someone summons them," Lulu added. "Someone… someone is calling on them?"

"From inside the Farplane?" Rikku shook her head. "This… this is terrible." The fayth needed to rest, they all realized this now. For a thousand years they'd been imprisoned, forced to serenade the human race into constant battle—the only hope. They should be silent now, gone and relieved.

"I think…" Yuna continued to caress the barrier. "I think we might be able to go in… without fear." The sounds of the fayth reassured her, but that wasn't all. If the fayth were being summoned, then perhaps it was they who were pulling people in. "If the fayth have been the ones… swallowing people, then perhaps they're… they're asking for help." She tried to find reason in it all. "Like when they… brought Tidus to us."

"They grabbed him up from Zanarkand and brought him here." Lulu started to try and understand. "And they're in danger again, so they're desperate and grabbing at anyone they can get?"

"I don't know…" Yuna shook her head.

"But… you think we can go?" Wakka came up beside Yuna, staring down at her questioningly. She returned the look, unsure what he was really asking her. "You understand this better than any of us, ya?" He nodded. "If you think we can… get though there, then… then we'll try."

Yuna glanced back at the entrance, uncertainty crawling inside her. Yet, in the same moment, she felt as though she had to do something. The fayth, the aeons, had served and protected her. Her and her friends. If they weren't being allowed to rest, if they were in danger, she had to do something. She had to help them.

Pursing her lips, Yuna closed her eyes, gathered her nerves, and slowly pressed her fingers in through the forcefield.

Almost immediately, she felt as though she was being yanked inside, as if what little she'd given had been more than enough to drag her through. Body suffering a kind of whiplash, she was raced on, her heart nearly stopping as she tried to get a grasp on what was happening. But she couldn't see, couldn't breathe. It was dark yet light at the same time and as she was pulled apart, she almost could have sworn she saw her hands and arms dragged out. As if she was being stretched, her whole form was vacuumed inside.

Where she ended up, she couldn't know, because soon enough there was nothing.


	2. Unfortunate Creature

She felt alone.

That was what she first noticed upon regaining feeling in her limbs. She'd never felt such loneliness in all her life. As if she'd always been alone and never had the luxury of another's company. Yet as she blinked her eyes open, the sensation soon faded, as if it were but a mere side effect, and she was able to regain a sense of warmth.

Finding the sensations in her hands, she slowly located the solid ground on which she laid before pushing. Sitting up fully, she blinked and allowed her eyes, which felt new and foreign for a few seconds, to adjust.

It was then that she realized she was submerged in a snow bank.

Eyes wide, she tried to stand, but found the effort futile. Her legs needed just as much time to adjust and as she waited for feeling to return to them, she found her thoughts zipping back and forth from one question to another. The only real conclusion she could come to, however, was that she now understood why it'd gotten colder the closer to the Farplane they'd walked. On the other side was a bank of snow.

Finally finding her feet, she slowly stood and, looking around, tried to locate her friends. They were nowhere to be found and, feeling a sort of panic overcome her, she jogged forward, up the bank, trying to get a better look at her surroundings.

What she found, however, was enough to silence even her thoughts.

Just as he'd described, there it was.

Zanarkand.

She couldn't see for how long it stretched, but she was on just the edge of one side, the buildings too numerous to be counted or even measured. They stretched up into the clouds beyond her line of sight, things she couldn't comprehend whipping in and out between the structures and bridges. She finally deduced that they looked like miniature airships. The extravagance, the luxury—waterfalls, skylights, already she could see a blitzball arena—it was all just unimaginable.

"Oh my yevon…" She made out Wakka's voice and, turning to see her friends hiking up the hill behind her, she was relieved at their appearance and good health, but too distracted by the city to think on it long. Instead, her eyes fell back on the metropolis, which appeared even more massive and incredible than when Seymour had taken them through that memory sphere.

"Wow…" Rikku was shaking her head, all of them speechless. For some moments, all they could do was stare, astounded. It was probably ten times the size of Bevelle, maybe more, and went on beyond what their eyes could see. It was just… remarkable.

"You were right," Lulu finally found her voice as she came up beside Yuna. "It is Zanarkand."

"But look," Rikku pointed to the base of the city. "What's that?" None of them had failed to notice the giant forcefield that shot up and into the clouds, surrounding and most likely doming the city. Like a shield. And at the base, around the perimeter of the city, were tall, forbidding walls, though Yuna couldn't tell from what it was made. It looked like a kind of glass that graduated up and faded into the forcefield. It was like nothing she'd ever seen in Spira. Aside from the city, however, outside the shield, there was nothing. Just snow. And as Yuna allowed her eyes to travel back behind them, she saw that the snow eventually faded away and became, oddly enough, a field of flowers. And from there, she saw the huge waterfalls that had originally bordered the Farplane.

So yes, they were, in fact, inside the Farplane.

"So strange…" she shook her head before focusing back on the city.

"Yeah…" Rikku agreed, though there was a liveliness that, even for Rikku, was alarming. "Let's go."

"To Zanarkand?" Lulu questioned.

"Where else?!" Rikku grinned.

"I don't think we have much choice," Yuna decided. It was either Zanarkand or the edges of the farplane. And as far as getting back, well, that hardly seemed plausible at the moment.

Glancing to each other only for affirmation, the four made sure they were all adequately armed before heading down the other side of the bank toward the city. There was only some hundred yards between them and, ignoring how the snow froze their light clothes and skin, they soon found themselves up against the barrier.

A barrier that wouldn't let them through.

"It's like metal or something," Rikku commented as she tapped it carelessly. It looked almost like a liquid, but when touched acted like a solid. It was strange, but did them no harm. It just didn't allow them to pass through.

"Well, maybe there's a door somewhere, ya?" Wakka suggested. They feared, however, that they'd freeze before they could find such a thing, if it existed.

However, as it would turn out, that was the least of their worries.

"Freeze, don't move!" The voice took them all aback and, turning to the right, they watched as a single solider approached. He wasn't like any soldier they'd ever seen, sporting heavy armor in gold with dark blue undertones. His weapon, too, was foreign, though it appeared to be some kind of gun. The odd thing, though, was that he was on the  _other_  side of the barrier, just visible through the slight transparency. "Come any closer and you're done for." His voice was slightly muffled.

Yuna, glancing back at her companions, tried to come up with something to say, but was beat to it by Lulu.

"We don't mean to harm you," the older of the three women assured. "So please, don't shoot." Could a bullet even get through the barrier to begin with?

"I'm not going to shoot you," he stated, now standing directly in front of them. He sounded uncertain, and young. "You… you touch the shell and you'll be zapped into nothing so just… go back to where you came from, fiends!"

They all looked at each other.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Rikku asked with a cocked eyebrow, the soldier turning his gun on her despite how he'd already decided not to shoot them. "Nothing happened when I touch it." Reaching out, she tapped the barrier again, rewarded with a sound similar to steel.

The solider with the gun gaped.

"H-h-how are you doing that?" he asked, his voice rising an octave. "Fiends! What trickery is this?!" He was waving his gun around rather erratically.

"We're not fiends, ya," Wakka tried to assure. "We're still alive."

The solider narrowed his eyes.

"That's impossible," he deduced after a moment of thought. "Only fiends approach the shell from the outside. Your disguise as humans doesn't fool me!" He seemed to be determined not to believe them and Lulu sighed.

"Listen," Yuna tried. "We're not…" She was trying to put the pieces together. "This shield," she started. "It's up to keep fiends out?" The solider nodded quickly and Yuna deduced that he was must be very,  _very_  young to give out such information. "Because your… city, it's been being attacked?"

"Yes," he verified. "Fiends in the shape of people. They tried to overrun us." It was beginning to make sense. Glancing at one another, the summoner and her guardians contemplated what this meant.

"So the people in this Zanarkand aren't dead?" Rikku questioned.

"Well… Tidus wasn't so…" Wakka rubbed his temples.

"So these people," Lulu started. "Their whole city was somehow… sent to the Farplane, but they're not… properly dead…"

"And now the dead here in the Farplane are waging war on them," Yuna finished.

"They're surrounded…" Rikku's eyes bugged. "And we're stuck out here…" They tried not to focus on that.

"Listen," Yuna turned back to the guard, who was looking more and more uneasy by the moment. "We're not fiends. We're from… from Spira." He narrowed his eyes, most likely not understanding what she was saying. After all, Tidus hadn't known what Spira was. "Your city, before now, what were the borders like?"

"It was… well… I don't know," he decided. "I never… never thought to look." He resituated his gun more comfortably to shoot at them.

"So… Zanarkand was your whole world?" Yuna asked and, though he didn't quite understand what she meant, he nodded in affirmation. "Well, we… we're from a different part of your world." A lie, she thought, but it might be more likely to convince this kid. "About a year ago, that's when your city was attacked, right? That was when… this," she gestured around her, "showed up at your borders?"

"Yes…" he seemed to be getting more and more suspicious of them. "How do you know that, fiends?!"

Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Your city, it's been separated from the rest of the world." Again, not true, but the ideas were coming faster into Yuna's head than she could comprehend. "We're from another part of that world. From an island called Besaid. We're here to… to help you." Hopefully, if there was anything they could do. Because this was certainly a predicament to be in, stuck in the Farplane waging war with the dead. It was a battle they could never win.

"I've never heard of it," the solider defended, though he sounded far less stubborn and much more uncertain.

"I know that," Yuna replied. "But you have to trust me." Reaching out, she laid her hands on the shell. "We're not fiends."

The solider fidgeted, seeming uneasy.

"Can you… let us in?" Could they even do that? Yuna didn't know.

"I… I have to talk to my superior," he finally decided. "I have to…" Backing away, he started to retreat, Yuna wanting to object. But before she could, he was gone, the five of them left to the cold and wrath of the dead, should they choose to show their faces.

"Great," Rikku huffed. "What if his 'superior' doesn't believe us? What if they gun us down where we stand?" She was more irritated than anything, and they shivered, which wasn't improving any of their moods.

"I wonder how they made this though, ya?" Wakka asked, staring contemplatively up at the shield. "Some kind of machina?"

"Not any machina I've ever seen," Rikku decided.

"It's like armor," Lulu observed.

"Yes, protecting the city," Yuna muttered quietly. "The fayth, in Gagazet. Yu Yevon, he'd been calling to them, summoning them to create Zanarkand…" She narrowed her eyes. "What if… what if this shield is…?"

"Something else the fayth are being summoned to create?" Lulu caught onto her train of thought.

Yes…" Struck with the idea, Yuna fell down on her knees before the shield. Ignoring how the snow chilled her, she allowed her arms to form the familiar motions of a prayer and, eyes closed, calmed her nerves and searched.

Searched, as she had so many times before, for the voice that would call her to the fayth's side. Because that was how a summoner got in contact with the aeons. They searched for that voice both in the cloisters and, after earning their rights to call, inside themselves. If she could locate a voice, then perhaps she could speak with the fayth.

The spirits of them were so close however, and so numerous, that she was quickly filled with the sensations of their words, as strongly as she'd felt it in Gagazet during her pilgrimage. It was a feeling she'd never forget and, more desperate for the companionship of an aeon than she'd realized, she opened up herself to the souls as soon as they sensed her presence.

 _Lady Yuna_ … They seemed to coo and she felt a smile trace her lips.

Opening her eyes, she was rewarded with the sight of a young man, dressed in purple, his eyes hidden from her. The pyreflies plagued him, as they always did fayth, and Yuna recognized him immediately.

"Bahamut," she murmured.

"High Summoner Yuna," he greeted and prayed to her in return. A sign of respect the fayth had never so willingly bestowed upon her before. "You heard our call…"

"I…" She hadn't. "You were calling for me?" There was no point in hiding it. She hadn't had any connection to the fayth, so why should she have heard them? The thought, though honest, pained her. How long had they been wanting her attention?

Behind, her friends listened and watched with rapt attentiveness.

"Yes," he nodded. "Things have not… gone as we'd hoped they would." He shook his head, a great depression seeming to weigh on his shoulders. "The dream… We tried to dissolve it, but there's nowhere for it to go…" He sighed. "The Farplane is not… big enough for so many souls. And we fear that Spira would be in danger if we…"

"Is there anything to be done?" Yuna asked, her own heart dropping at what he said.

"If there is a solution, then we don't know it," he verified. "And we cannot allow the dream that we created," the people, "to be ravaged by the dead. I sense so much fear from them since Sin vanished. There's nothing to protect them… anymore…"

"Why, then…" Yuna took a deep breath. "If you don't know what to do, then why did you call to me? What can I do?" He looked at her then, a kind of desperation swimming in his deep, wizened, yet still childish features.

"You found a different way once before," he stated hopefully. "Perhaps… perhaps…" His voice died, his eyes falling to the ground, and Yuna knew exactly what he was saying. He hadn't called to her because they knew what she had to do, but because they themselves had no idea. She and her guardians had proven capable of almost freeing them. Perhaps, if they set their minds to it, they might yet succeed.

She, her friends, they were the fayth's only hope…

"Is there a way you can let us in?" Yuna asked after some few more moments of silence. "Into the city?"

"Yes," he nodded adamantly, no doubt taking her question as verification that they were going to try. "I can open a path for you." Nodding, Yuna stood to her feet, abruptly aware of how cold she really was. Turning away from her, Bahamut reached out and, hand coming in contact with the shell, used whatever power he possessed to disintegrate a hole in the barrier just large enough for a person to walk through. Glancing back at them, he nodded and, thankful to get out of the snow, they all hastily stepped through.

"I cannot stay with you much longer," he explained as he closed the barrier once more. "I must return to my duty. I must protect the city." He seemed to be fading, pulled away perhaps, and Yuna felt her heart continue to drop at the plight of the fayth. "Do not fear," he tried to get out one last message. "There are those that can help you…" His words faded as well and soon he was gone.

But, at least, they were now on the other side of the barrier.

Turning back to the city, they all set their sights on admiring it, on figuring out their next move, but were soon interrupted.

"How did you get inside the shell?!" It was the same solider from before, only this time he was flanked by four others, all of them with their guns raised and ready to fire.

"Ah…" Rikku, like the rest of them, tried to come up with something quick to say before they were attacked. "Well, Yuna's a summoner," Rikku continued to babble. "She pulled the shield down with her… summoning powers."

"A summoner?" one of the other soldiers stated, his reaction revealing nothing of his knowledge to the intruders, who were careful to keep their hands off their weapons. Though, they supposed, if they were careful, they could probably take on these soldiers. They'd fought off plenty worse. It was probably better, however, not to cause trouble.

"Not even summoners can lower the shield," another soldier decided.

"Well, I didn't exactly do it myself," Yuna tried to be honest. "I asked the fayth to let us in."

"Fayth? What are you talking about? What rubbish is this?"

"You… don't know what a fayth is?" Lulu asked, the silence that followed seeming answer enough. "How do you people think this shield got here in the first place?" Still nothing. "You have no idea, do you…?"

"Enough talk!" one of them barked. "You… you're under arrest! So don't… don't move!"

"So, how long have you guys been soldiers anyway?" Rikku asked, ignoring their attempts at being threatening.

"A few mon-"

"Don't answer them!"

"Sorry…"

Yuna, as well as everyone else in her party, tried to hide their skepticism.

"Like I said, you're all under arrest so… come with me! We're taking you to the general!" Slowly approaching, the soldiers surrounded them and, with the good graces of having prisoners who weren't intent on causing a commotion, began to escort them into the city still fully armed.

And seeing as they had absolutely no idea where they were headed or even what to do or what to look for, they all went along willingly, unbeknownst to the soldiers escorting them. They were still, as far as the main part of the city, on the outskirts, and were being escorted into what looked like a military camp littered with fancy, mechanical tents and other machina Yuna couldn't even begin to comprehend.

They eventually came to what looked like a broad platform and, after being encouraged by the soldiers, stepped up on top of it.

"Headquarters," one of the men said and, beginning to softly buzz, the platform rose a few inches before slowly beginning to move. Gaining speed, it started to zoom them off down a path circling the outside of the city. Transportation like nothing any of the intruders had ever seen.

"Whoa…" was all that was heard from Wakka, the rest of them silent and gawking as they were given a plain view of the outskirts of the city. A city that was so vast and huge that they still had no idea what to make of it. Or how to even digest its presence before them. Yuna, rather, was feeling quite dizzy with it all, as she'd always predicted she would if she ever saw it.

Soon enough, the lift was slowing, the five turning around and away from the city to see where they'd stopped. There, suspended by forces they couldn't understand, was a floating, machina tent, only this one was much larger than the others around it. It was marked with symbols none of them understood, though were reminiscent of their own written texts.

"That's the general's tent," one of the soldiers explained as they approached. "You all… wait out here. I'll go get him." The head soldier, or at least the one in charge of the others, went into the tent, vanishing behind a kind of shimmering cloth that vanished when he approached and reappeared once he was through.

The group glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. Mostly, they were hoping they didn't get thrown in jail. Though, if they were suspected of being fiends, they'd probably be killed on the spot. And if they weren't, well, what had they done wrong? Other than end up outside the shell. A phenomenon that, apparently, common soldiers didn't understand if their lack of knowledge on the fayth said anything.

If worst came to worst, they'd gotten out of much stiffer circumstances.

A few moments later, the soldier reemerged. And following him, far more dressed down in a mere black pants, boots, and a red sweater, wasn't who they'd assumed was the general, but a man they recognized nonetheless.

A man that should have been dead. And definitely not looking ten years younger than the last time they'd seen him.

"Auron!" they all gasped at the same time.

Blinking, his  _two_  good eyes widened at seeing them. He was just as shocked to find them there as they were to find him.

"Yuna," his gravelly voice addressed. "Wakka, Lulu. Rikku." He shook his head. "How did you get here?"

"How did  _you_  get here?" Rikku asked rather harshly. "And why are you so young? You're supposed to be d-"

"Well I'm not," Auron quickly cut in, silencing her and then casting her as much of a warning look as he could muster. Rikku seemed to take the hint, but remained sulky about it.

They all quickly remembered that the soldiers were listening in however and, lips pursing, Auron cleared his throat.

"I'm taking the prisoners in with me," he decided. "The rest of you get back to your posts." Obviously let down about not getting details about the mysterious intruders, the soldiers slowly did as told, lacking in all good discipline and emotional restraint that was normally needed in a seasoned fighter.

"Come inside," was all Auron said before turning and heading back into the tent. Wasting no time, the others followed, only mystified for a moment by the strange vanishing door.

Inside, it was bright and vibrant, much the opposite of how they would have expected a place where Auron was staying to be. But, he was also a general (apparently) and had dozens of screens lining the interior walls, digital maps, floating tables, and, well, they all gave off a kind of glowing blue light of their own, so perhaps there was no getting away from it.

"Ohmygosh I can't believe you're  _alive_!" Rikku was on him within moments, much to the older (younger?) man's obvious surprise. She tackled him quite sufficiently and had he been a smaller man, he might have toppled at the contact. Instead he stumbled a bit, unsure what to make of the young woman wrapping her arms around his middle and attempting to suffocate him.

"I'm not sure if that's the correct way to view things," he stated coldly, but Rikku hardly seemed to care. She was too busy being far too happy to see him considering how little they'd gotten along when he'd been alive. Rikku wasn't alone in being glad to see him, however. Both Wakka and Yuna were smiling despite themselves, even Lulu grinning slightly.

"I don't understand how this is possible." Lulu shook her head. "You weren't a dream of the fayth." Thus, he should, by all logic, be one of the "fiends" the locals wanted to keep out.

"No, certainly not," Auron agreed while at the same time prying Rikku off of him, who jumped up and down excitedly and refused to leave his side despite how he eyed her uncomfortably. "However, when things… went off course, the fayth made a few recruitments in an effort to try and find a solution."

"So they… brought you back to life?" Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. "Back to life… younger?"

"Not exactly," Auron huffed. "It's more like they dreamed me back into existence. And this is what I looked like when I died, so…" Perhaps he didn't quite understand it either, though his young skin and bright eyes, and the not-graying hair, did throw them all for a bit of a loop.

"So… you are a dream then?" It was such an odd concept and Rikku frowned as she questioned it.

"I, honestly, don't know what I am." He sighed, sounding far older than he probably should, but perhaps he'd always been that way. Scruffy and worn, aged beyond what he ought even in youthful appearance. "I'm here now, however, so."

Silence fell on the group for a moment, as if they were taking it all in—the incredible things that had happened in so short an amount of time. It was continually difficult though, and none of them could really wrap their heads around it.

Yuna gave in first, deciding there wasn't much she could do in the way of understanding. But still she felt a welling kind of pleasure. "Sir Auron," she drew his attention. "I'm so glad to see you."

Auron's expression softened slightly. "I'm glad to see you as well, Yuna." He nodded to the other three, though blatantly ignored Rikku, who "heyed" in protest, but was still bypassed. "I still don't understand how you all got here." He narrowed his eyes. "You're not… dead… are you?"

"No," Lulu assured civilly. "We actually came here… somewhat by accident. Because of whatever is going on here, the Farplane has become unstable. We were asked to come look at it and, well, we went through and this is where we ended up." The short version of the story.

"I see," Auron sounded moderately displeased. "I'd wondered if this whole ordeal was affecting Spira. I had hoped not…"

"It's not done anything detrimental yet," Yuna assured. "But… that could change I suppose…" If things, this battle Zanarkand was caught up in, got out of control.

"How'd you become a general, ya?"

Auron scoffed, almost laughed, and shook his head. "When Sin was defeated, Zanarkand was thrown into turmoil. Buildings disappearing and reappearing, people fading in and out. Everyone was in a panic until, finally, things seemed to settle here, in the Farplane. Only a select few of us understood, sort of, what was going on. We tried to explain, but Zanarkand's leaders feared the truth might be too much for the people—they hardly believe it themselves—so instead of explaining it, they put about getting military action and asked those of us in the know to be in charge. Everything is still in disarray in the city. People are terrified of what happened, of being attacked. It's a fear this Zanarkand has never had to even consider before."

"Which is why all your soldiers are so inexperienced," Rikku deduced.

"I'm working on it." Auron didn't even look at her.

"Who… who is… 'we?'" Yuna asked hesitantly.

"Ah," Auron pursed his lips. "That is, Jecht and I…" He looked as though he wanted to say more, but refrained.

"Then… Tidus… He's not here?" Yuna's voice had quieted considerably.

"Tidus?" Auron sighed and shook his head. "If he is, I haven't run into him. Neither has Jecht. I suppose he must be—we waited for him when Yu Yevon was sent, but after… everything… I don't know where he ended up." He paused. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Yuna smiled softly. "I wasn't expecting anything." How could she? This whole… ordeal was so far beyond her.

"Jecht's been looking for him too, as have I…" Auron added, sounding somewhat sad himself. "I'm sure he'll turn up eventually." Yuna didn't reply, simply nodded and allowed her eyes to fall to the ground. She didn't want to think about him anymore. She willed herself to still be angry with him, but the feeling… it faded more and more every day until all she could do was…

Miss him.

"So you all were able to walk through the Farplane to get here?" Auron asked, probably trying to change the subject.

"I suppose you could say that," Lulu replied. "It wasn't exactly that simple. Rather, it was… quite uncomfortable."

"Like being sucked through a tunnel at unimaginable speeds?" Auron asked.

"Something like that," she affirmed with a small smile, a response to his knowing look.

"It's kinda weird, ya know?" Wakka started soon after. "To actually… be here. I mean, I guess I kinda assumed it was all real, somehow, after a while… but…"

"Yes, Zanarkand was quite a shock for me initially as well." Auron's eyes fell to the side, his expression taking on something akin to thoughtful recollection. "You get used to it, however. The people and society. And I won't lie, it was nice not having to worry about Sin or fiends all the time." Obviously, some of that has changed as of late.

"That's right, you and Tidus knew each other before," Lulu observed.

"Yes," Auron nodded. "I lived in Zanarkand for ten years. For three of those years, I knew Tidus' mother, and after she died, I looked after him." He glanced back at the group, though his lips had tightened. It would appear that, despite his lack of admittance, he was just as concerned about Tidus' whereabouts as any of them.

"So, you were kind of like a father to him," Rikku observed and Auron scoffed a chuckle in his typical way.

"I doubt that," he admitted. "Tidus' views on fathers aren't exactly what most would consider positive. I'd rather not he affiliate me with the idea." His words were guarded, but upon considering Tidus' hard feelings toward Jecht, it was probably safe to assume that Auron was attempting to say that he liked to think Tidus preferred him to his father. He had, after all, raised the boy for longer than Jecht had, to much greater effect, if Tidus' say on how Jecht had previously acted held any weight.

Yuna wondered if the point was a sore spot between Sir Auron and Sir Jecht, or if perhaps they'd reconciled to the fact of the matter. She supposed it wasn't her place to question.

Rather, she'd prefer the subject of Tidus be dropped. If he was there, in that… realm, he was keeping his distance from his family, which meant she was unlikely to see him. And even if she were, what would be the point? Much like he hadn't belonged in Spira, she didn't belong in Zanarkand. Perhaps it was better to just assume they'd never be together.

It was easier that way, wasn't it?

"So you and Sir Jecht are leadin' this, uh, military operation then?" Wakka asked, arms crossing over his chest.

"Yes, though I'm sure Jecht is back home by now," Auron observed with a sigh. "He's not exactly one for working late hours." If he was irritated at the thought, it didn't show. Whatever Jecht's faults, Auron was no doubt accustomed to them at this point.

"Home?" Rikku asked curiously, Auron finally glancing down at her.

"Yes," he nodded once. "You think I'd live in this city for ten years and not have a place of my own? And as far as Jecht," he looked to the rest of the group, "he's the type that lounges around in other people's places, so he's probably eating my food and wracking up my electric bill as we speak."

"Electric… bill?" Yuna cocked her head to the side and Auron didn't satisfy her with a response.

"So…" Rikku pulled her hands behind her back and smiled as wide as she could up at Auron, who sighed in response to such an expression. "If you've got a place to stay, then…"

"Then you all have a place to stay as well," he determined, though he didn't sound that incredibly happy about it. "In fact, I'd assume you're all ready to retire by now." He didn't have to get an answer to see it. Though they had all been pumped through with adrenaline upon arriving, he could see their energy waning as a result of the trip between there and Spira. "It's about time for me to leave anyway," he added.

"We wouldn't want to impose on your home," Lulu started the expected pleasantries, Yuna shaking her head in ironic agreement with her. "If you just directed us toward an inn, then-"

"Lulu," Auron cocked a single eyebrow. "I may not be a sentimental man, but I've got enough sense to know that we're family. You're all welcome in my home." That seemed to silence the subject and, going around the tent and gathering up a few things, Auron soon seemed to shut down his post and head for the door. The others followed, waiting while Auron alerted those below his status about his departure. Soon they were headed across the camp, the newcomers finding their eyes continually drawn to the city and its towering, seemingly impossible architecture.

"How far up does it go, ya?" Wakka asked quietly, probably more to himself than anything, but Auron felt obliged to answer anyway.

"Zanarkand stretches, at length, some fifteen jils in both directions, at its most urban center, and it's divided into three sections vertically. The bottom level is the entertainment district, home to restaurants, inns, concerts, parks, museums. The second level is the business district. The higher you are, generally the more 'successful.' This is known as skyspace. Skyspace is considered a rather important commodity and determines a kind of social status that's… significant." He sounded as if the idea was quite beyond him, or below him, perhaps. "The third level, and highest most point, is where the rich residential live, in apartments or skyhouses. Those of the working class generally live in their buildings or on the same level as their work. Much of the third level is reserved for celebrities, athletes, politicians, those with money to spare."

"Where are  _we_  headed?" Rikku asked from her position bouncing beside Auron.

"The third tier," he replied easily.

"Ohhhh," she cooed. "So you have a fancy skyhouse then?"

"I do, though I didn't get it of my own accord. Rather… Tidus bought it for me some three years ago." This information came across as rather surprising to some. Tidus, upon coming to Spira, had been ignorant, sure, and inexperienced, but he'd never displayed any kind of attitude, proud or pompous, that would allude to him having money.

"How'd he afford that?" Wakka asked curiously.

"In Zanarkand," Auron continued, "those providing entertainment value are very… highly paid. Tidus shot to stardom as a blitzball player at sixteen and was making some one million gil a game by the end of his first season." Jaws dropped all around him. "It's not uncommon for musicians, athletes, actors, to be paid as much."

"But… we barely got paid anything to play blitz…" Wakka stuttered as they continued on through the camp.

"Yes, well, Spira played blitzball out of a desperation for something to… erase the sorrow," Auron went on, clearing his throat as if unaccustomed to talking so. "It was more of an honor and obligation. Here, blitzball is a talent, one that people pay lots of money to see, to bet on. It creates a small economy all its own. In Zanarkand alone there are eight professional teams, and dozens of amateur teams hoping to make it into the higher league. It's a… very different game than you're used to."

"So does Tidus have a… house in the sky too?" Rikku asked curiously, Yuna once again frustrated by the subject.

"Oddly enough, no," Auron replied. "Tidus lives on the edge of the city in a small boathouse that had once belonged to Jecht. Or at least he used to. He wasn't exactly the type to spend needlessly."

"He never did complain about what little means we had during the pilgrimage," Lulu observed.

"Growing up into an orphan that's left nothing will do that," Auron replied. "Jecht, though wealthy himself at one point, wasn't very good with his money, nor was Tidus' mother. They left him nothing." Did he sound bitter on the fact? Yuna couldn't tell…

"Why'd he buy you a house then?" Rikku badgered.

"I think he was under the impression that he was doing a good deed," Auron chuckled. "He thought of me as a hopeless foreigner, what with my constant amazement at Zanarkand, and gave it to me as a gift. Besides that, Tidus is always the type more apt to give than to take." Demanding, a bit of a crybaby, and ignorant he very well might be, but greedy he most certainly wasn't. At least, not for material things.

"You seem a lot more relaxed, you know?" Rikku observed, never leaving Auron's side. "You're talking more now than you ever did during the pilgrimage." She frowned, as if the change in him should be some kind of personal affront.

"I had a lot more on my mind then," he replied shortly.

"And you don't now?" Rikku countered, referring to the displacement issue of the whole city.

"It's different," he defended. "Zanarkand is… easy. In a lot of respects that Spira is not. Everything in Spira is… hard, and bare. Despite everything that's happening, it's hard to find anything here remotely… stressful when compared to life in Spira."

"You sound as if you prefer it here," Yuna commented.

"Hmph." He shrugged, adding no more.

The conversation came to a subject change then, Auron pausing before a single, strange machina sitting amongst hundreds of others, all of them stacked across the area evenly and kept within the boundaries of blue lines on either side. He then pulled some kind of remote from his pocket, clicked it, and one of the machina, one very close to the edge of the lot, seemed to light into life.

"What is it?" Wakka asked dumbly.

"A car," Auron stated simply, explaining no more as he approached the thing. The others followed, Rikku more excited than the others.

"These are the mini airships we can see flying around up there," she commented, gesturing to the city above them where similar machines flew back and forth.

"That's one way to look at them," Auron agreed. "It'd going to be a tight fit," he added as he went alongside the "car." Pulling open the back door, he nodded to them, the others approaching slowly before peering in. "Two in the back, two in the middle," he issued, no one invited into the passenger. Climbing in, Rikku and Yuna took the back, and Wakka and Lulu the middle.

Going around to the driver's side, Auron let himself in before tapping into the machina at the front of the car. A screen lit up and after a few different tapped combinations, something wholly unexpected happened. The top of the car vanished.

"Whoa…" Wakka again.

"You're going to be automatically buckled in," Auron warned as he took the remote he'd had previously and placed it inside a small pocket at the front of the car. Upon doing so, they felt the machine lift up into the air slightly, all of them tensing at the loss of solid ground. At the same moment, shining silver belts shot out across their chests, locking them in place.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Rikku shouted up to Auron, her nervousness clearly apparent.

"I have a license that says I do," he replied smartly before, somehow beyond all their knowledge, commanding the car into action. Resulting in gasps and yelps coming from everyone besides himself, Auron shot the machine straight up vertically, the ground zooming away below them.

"Oh Yevon," Rikku moaned in the backseat. "I like the airship a lot better." The others all quite agreed. This "car" was so small and… exposed. It couldn't possibly be safe.

"You'll get used to it," Auron commented, the vertical assentation slowing until they were left floating in midair. They weren't as high as they could go, but Auron was then pushing the thing into the city, the car accelerating into forward momentum. Without a hitch, it was merged into the back and forth traffic of the others of its kind, Auron able to command it into rules and regulations that apparently everyone else in Zanarkand were following, but that the newcomers couldn't even begin to comprehend.

They continually picked up speed, quite caught up in the shadows of the looming city as they busied around one building or another. The group was silent, all glancing around and gawking in shock as they peered at level upon level of incredible urbanization. As well as the sight, they were assaulted by lights, signs, sounds, music—it was dizzying. A city built on speed.

"Lu…" Wakka shook his head. "Is this what all the cities in Spira used to look like?"

She couldn't find him an answer.

They were soon, after following and passing other cars, coming up on a strange, open space. There, as they watched, people sat in their cars and, after getting some signal that none of them could decipher, shot vertically up into the air much like Auron had before. Waiting in line until it was their turn to do something similar, they all waited with baited breath for their car to shoot upward.

Many of them had their hands clenched tightly to their seats.

Auron got the signal and, without so much as a warning to his passengers, he shot the car up again, the machine flying on and through the air without any attempt at effort. Soon, though, they were heading forward again, a level higher in the Zanarkand skyway.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Lulu muttered.

"Look down at the floor," Auron offered. "It can be a little hard to take the first few times." He himself had gotten violently sick in a taxi his first few weeks in Zanarkand, but they didn't need to know that.

"What tier are we in?!" Rikku shouted up to the front of the car.

"Top level of Tier One," Auron replied coldly. There was still so much of the city above their heads that they couldn't even see the sky anymore, so enveloped were they by the buildings. They kept going, flying for some thirty minutes with Auron occasionally coming upon the strange open spaces where cars were allowed to shoot up. They passed similar areas where cars were falling back down, the idea of having to do that making nearly all of them sick to their stomachs.

They soon got so high that clouds were drifting in-between the buildings. Though, somehow, by some kind of invisible forcefield, the fog was kept from the paths where the cars traveled, thus no vision was impaired. In Zanarkand, they apparently thought of everything.

"Are we almost there?" Rikku asked as they finished one more shooting rise in elevation.

"It's just around this corner," Auron verified and, within the moment, the car was coming to a slow halt, pulling off the skyway where others traveled and onto a transparent, glass-like landing protruding from a lightened structure stretching some three stories up ahead of them. It's base, though empty of windows, was attached to the top of the building below. They soon came to realize that this was how houses were built in the top tier, stacked and connected to those around. Above their own area were more, though they could now make out chunks of sky.

Slowly filing out of the car, they recovered their stomachs as they followed Auron across the transparent landing. There was another car parked there as well, but they didn't ask, too distracted by the house and city to care much about anything else.

"What if… what if you fell…?" Yuna asked, her body chilling at the thought.

Auron chuckled. "There are invisible forcefields all around. Were anyone to fall, they'd be quickly caught and able to be retrieved. Though you cannot see it, Zanarkand is crisscrossed with these sorts of defenses." He paused. "You're all quite safe," was his last assurance as they headed down a narrow, borderless pathway that led up to a similarly transparent, glass-like balcony lining the bottom level of the house.

Auron went straight to the door, letting himself in without a problem and beckoning the others in after him. Eyes ever curious, they all took in as much as possible. The circular shape to the building, the glass-like stairs spiraling gracefully up the middle. The floors were flat white, the walls the same aside from the gracious windows lining all the way around. There were delicately decorated rugs, red, curving furniture. Stainless steel tables and appliances. Everything was clean and well kept—stylized to the last coaster.

It was, needless to say, a very nice place.

Laying the things he'd brought with him down on a table they passed by, a dining table perhaps, Auron gestured that they were welcome to the house in all its forms, perhaps about ready to explain and provide a tour. Whether it be fortunate or not, however, they were interrupted before such a display could take place.

"'Bout time you got home," the gruff, deep voice echoed from the second floor, Yuna's ears ringing with its familiar tone. "Got here two hours ago," he kept saying, his voice drifting closer, "and you don't have any beer, by the way, so I'm  _assuming_  you picked some up on your way." His footsteps echoed above them until they hit the stairs, his scarred, tanned legs soon making an appearance as he descended to the first floor.

Auron sighed.

"If I had any beer, it was because you brought it," he reasoned. "And then drank it all yourself. In any case, I have guests, so I'd appreciate it if you were on your best behavior." By this time, the man they all realized was Sir Jecht had reached the bottom of the stairs. He was staring at them from behind tanned, leather skin, his long gray hair pulled back in a thick ponytail. His red eyes were narrowed, his chest shirtless and his bottom half sporting only a pair of ratty jeans.

He really did look nothing like his son.

He was quiet for a moment, surveying them, and most of the newcomers shrank under his piercing stare. He was, after all, a man they'd all fought to destroy as well as a legendary guardian. As these thoughts filtered through their heads, Jecht seemed to come upon the realization as well, his eye abruptly wide as his mouth fell open.

"Yuna…?" was all he managed to sputter out, seeing as he didn't know the names of any of the rest of them, at least not in accordance with their faces. Sure, Auron had talked about them some, but never in great amounts of detail. And Jecht had never had much interest in knowing any more.

He had his own issues to deal with…

"Hello Sir Jecht," Yuna replied respectfully, bowing once. "It's good to see you again."

"Uh, yeah…" He seemed rather shocked, Yuna supposing she'd have to take over the exchange.

"I'm not sure if you remember," she continued, "but these are my friends and were once my guardians." She turned to her companions before introducing them all accordingly, each of them bowing in turn.

"Yeah, I remember," Jecht eventually managed to say, blinking away his shock. "But… what are you doing here?"

And so, with Lulu leading the charge, their appearance in Zanarkand was explained once more, Auron standing by idly all the while and offering no assistance to either Jecht or the others. Not that any of them were surprised. Sure, he could talk when he wanted to, but when he didn't, it wasn't worth trying to coax it out of him.

"So…" Jecht rubbed his temples, "what's happening here is affecting Spira?"

"Unfortunately," Lulu verified. "We were only investigating, but…" She glanced around the house, as if to accentuate their presence there.

"Well," Jecht crossed his arms over his chest, "I never would have imagined." His gaze fell back to Yuna, his expression softening greatly. "I couldn't really see you clearly the last time we met, but you've grown up beautifully, Yuna." She smiled, but said nothing on the compliment. She was, quite honestly, too taken with the absurdity of what they were doing to add to casual conversation. There they were, among those who had once been dead, as if it were normal. She and all of her friends were rather beyond knowing what to think.

"What's going on down there?" a high-pitched, female voice echoed from the level Jecht had appeared from, all of them glancing up. Aside from Jecht that was, whose shoulders tensed and mouth tightened. "Who are you talking to?"

She was a very pretty woman, they all noted, as she came down the stairs to join them. Her figure was pleasing and tacked with yellow capris and an orange tank top. She had big blue eyes and golden hair that fell down past her shoulders. Despite the illogic of it, they all knew who this woman was despite not being told. Not only had Yuna seen her once in the Farplane, but her features spoke for themselves.

Tidus didn't look anything like his father because he was a carbon copy of his mother.

"Who are these people?" she asked quite blatantly as she glanced up at Jecht. With them standing side by side, it became apparent that there was a considerable age difference between them, Jecht seeming uncomfortable as he glanced down at her. He was a fair bit older than Auron even, being in his fifties, but this woman was probably only in her late thirties, a few years older than Auron perhaps.

Though, considering when all these people had died (and how young Auron looked), perhaps age was no longer of any consequence.

"These are…" Jecht tried to explain. "Auron's friends from… Spira…"

"Spira?" She said the word as if it were disgusting, her arms crossing over her chest as she cocked a single brow at them. She was, above all, looking quite displeased. "I thought you were all done with that place." She glanced then to Auron before focusing back on Jecht. "It sounded terrible."

Yuna blinked, but didn't say anything.

"Ah, well," Jecht tried to laugh it all off, "they're just… visiting…" She was glaring at the newcomers by then, the room falling silent as she did. A few moments later, she "hmphed" and turned away, sauntering back up the stairs without so much as a polite word to any of them.

"Well she was fun," Rikku commented sourly.

"Er, well," Jecht sighed, staring after her before turning back to them. "She… When she heard that it was Spira I went to when I disappeared originally…" In other words, she was hostile because she viewed them as being part of whatever it'd been that had stolen her husband away from her.

"She's your wife, correct?" Lulu asked and Jecht nodded. "And… Tidus' mother?" Upon his name being brought up, a great weight fell across the room, Jecht's expression becoming cold and distant.

"Yes, she is," he verified, apparently intent on keeping things simple.

"So… why is she here?" Yuna, sensing it'd be easy to change the subject after so huge a shift in mood in the room, tried to turn things away from a certain young man. Perhaps more so for her own benefit.

"You mean, why is she… alive?" Jecht asked, though it was questionable if that was really what they were. "I think the fayth thought they were doing me a favor in bringing her back too. Maybe makin' up for what they dragged me into." He crossed his arms over his chest, Yuna observing that perhaps he hadn't appreciated the decision. She'd never learned a whole lot about Tidus' family life, but she did then find herself wondering if there was more to it than she'd imagined.

"She seemed… nice…" Wakka tried to offer and Jecht rolled his eyes, just as aware of how unpleasant she'd been as the rest of them. "Looks a lot like, uh…" Was it okay for them to talk about Tidus or not?

"Yes, she does," Jecht almost snapped, turning on his heel and walking across the room. There, scarred and beaten back facing them, he grabbed a glass and filled it from a bottle that had been sitting on the counter. A fine, copper colored liquid slipped out.

Yuna looked away.

"I don't have enough guest rooms for everyone," Auron started a few seconds later, as if to, perhaps, change the subject. "But I can pick up some extra mattresses so you might share, if that's appropriate to everyone." He knew it would be, seeing as they'd shared far less extra space in the past, but pleasantries were important he supposed, despite how he despised such practices.

From there, things commenced it a rather ordinary fashion. They were given a tour of the house, none of them missing the harsh look Jecht's wife (they'd learned her name was Chere) had cast them when they'd reached the second level. Auron designated their sleeping quarters, the group splitting up between two rooms accordingly. By the time this was done, there was food downstairs, Jecht having "ordered out" for everyone. They were treated to interesting, exotic foods, things only Zanarkand could provide, as well as an array of deserts.

Jecht, who'd joined them despite how his wife had refused too, was far more animated than he had been upon first being introduced. There was a rosiness to his cheeks, however, that Yuna suspected stemmed from drink, though the subject was never broached. And afterward, much to Wakka's thrilled excitement, the retired blitz star took him over to the "television" where they watched highlights of the Abes last season.

Tidus hadn't been present on the team.

Lulu joined them soon after, Rikku volunteering to help Auron in the kitchen. Chere never came downstairs.

Yuna, uncertain whether she was truly tired or just overwhelmed, eventually retreated to the balcony at the back of the house. There, she gazed out across the city, at the layers and layers of skyhouses and the winding streets between. It was oddly distracting, the scene, and for a moment she allowed her eyes to daze, her thoughts numb to everything. Sometimes, it was just easier that way…

How long she stood out there, beneath the night sky, she couldn't say. It was inevitable, however, that she be interrupted.

"You must be thinking hard over something," Auron observed as he joined her. "That's the only time you ever retreated like this." He said it almost questioningly, as he joined her at the balcony. As if to investigate whether her practices were still the same as a year before.

Yuna tried not to sigh.

"Not really," she admitted.

"I wondered about that too," he commented gruffly. "I find that it's easier sometimes to think of nothing at all." He didn't look at her, but she knew he was asking her to elaborate. Perhaps so he might offer some of his irreplaceable wisdom.

"It is easier, yes," was all Yuna gave him however, falling silent once more.

Auron didn't hide his sigh. "You know," he started slowly, "I am an old man. Perhaps not by looks or Zanarkand standards, where everyone lives to be nearly one hundred before… before they fade away, but age is no consequence when expectations predict your future.

"I understand how you're feeling," he continued. "I never expected to live this long, or be forced to, in any case. It's as if I've died twice now. Once, I came back to fulfill promises I willingly made. But this time… this time I thought I was finally going to be able to rest. Instead, like Jecht, the fayth insisted on bringing me back." He was bitter she realized, Yuna's chest dropping at the thought.

"I'm glad… to be able to see you again," she tried.

"And I you," he nodded, "but we both know neither of us had any intention of being here anymore." He glanced down at her, looking almost amused. "I'm not saying I wish I were dead, but it would be nice if, were I to come back, it wasn't because wars were to be fought.

"But you Yuna, you don't have to be here." He turned to her fully. "You're not prisoner to the fayth's whims as we dead men are. Don't bring this on yourself."

"What am I to do then?" she asked, smiling up at him softly. "My dream of having Sin vanquished from Spira is fulfilled…" And she was still there.

"You find a new dream," he issued, turning back to the city.

"Maybe I don't want to…" She laughed then, allowing her hands to rub at her temples in frustration. "Or maybe I do. I don't know."

Auron, lips tightening, didn't reply at first, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Even if we happened to find him," he eventually started, "there's no guarantee that he could exist on Spira, which is where you  _do_  belong." He narrowed his eyes out at the city. "This is a ghost city, Yuna. None of these people… none of them know suffering, or loss. They understand a little bit of what fear is now, but still they are shells of what humanity is. You don't want to be a part of this. Not even I or… Jecht want to be. The difference is that we have no choice. It's easier to be here, yes, in Zanarkand, and I think both him and I fall victim to the luxury. But when the past shows it's face, the memories make everything seem… trivial."

Yuna focused down on her hands on the banister. "Does Sir Jecht always drink that much, even now?" Even after he'd supposedly given it up during her father's pilgrimage.

"Jecht, he," Auron took a deep breath. "He drinks to drown his own sorrow. How… how being Sin affected him, I'll never understand. What he saw, what he did, how responsible he feels for it. These are things no one can grasp but him. And then, of course, there's… Tidus."

Yuna flicked her eyes up at him.

"He feels responsible for dragging him to Spira, though I can't tell if he views that as good or bad. I think he knows that… that it was the fayth that planned this all out. That took him originally to Spira to begin the domino race that would lead them to freedom. It's an odd feeling, being used so by something you know you can't hold a grudge against. Still though, he worries. We all do.

"A whole year and none of us have seen him."

Yuna, jaw tightening, returned her focus to the city.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned myself," his tone dropped some. "Going to Spira and then being here… It makes a person feel displaced. As if they don't belong after seeing so much death and destruction. It's enough to drive a person crazy sometimes, the ignorance of the people here."

"You think he's… gone?" Yuna asked, not entirely sure what she was actually inquiring about.

"Maybe," Auron sighed again. "Though I find that hard to believe. If the fayth brought Jecht and I back to be used, then I have no doubt they're making the most of him as well." He didn't say it resentfully. No, but he was obviously tired. Very, very tired.

"They said they'd been calling to me," Yuna admitted then, eyebrows furrowing. "Though I can't say I know of any way  _I_  can help them." She didn't know anything and had allowed herself to be led around blindly by those she'd thought she could trust, Tidus among them. What good could she possibly be? "Sometimes I feel as though I can't help anyone…"

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Auron commented roughly. "It was your determination that started our journey after all."

"I made so many poor choices…"

"That's all part of growing up. Regret serves no one, least of all the one doing the regretting." He caught her eye once more. "You have very little you should regret Yuna, know that well. You carry a heavy burden. One of hope—one not even the fayth can ignore. It's a load that's hard to bear, but do not regret. For those who regret are already dead. This place is full of petty regrets and people who refuse to live their lives. But you've done everything right, Yuna. Even if sometimes you feel lost in it all."

She smiled at his speech, supposing she should thank him for it even if she couldn't totally understand what he meant. But that was how it always was with Auron. Never a straight answer. Always cryptic.

"How old  _are_  you, Sir Auron?" The question popped from her lips before she could stop it, the man beside her chuckling lightly.

"I suppose I probably turned thirty-six this year," he replied shortly.

"Six years younger than my father," she observed. "Do you think he had regrets too?"

"I know he does," Auron replied. "Just as you did the day you decided to become a summoner." He paused then, Yuna noticing how his chest heaved, as if he had a great many things to say. "That's actually one of the reasons why I came out to talk to you. Not about regrets," he waved off the subject, "but about your father."

"My father?" she furrowed her brows, her curiosity spiking. Her father was one subject she was never shy to talk about. To be honest, she didn't remember much about him. Most of her memories from back then consisted of missing him. There were a few flashes of them together in the back of her mind, but they faded more and more every day. Just like all her memories, as if the new ones had to force out the old to make way.

"You need to realize, Yuna, that when I say everyone in this city is dead, I'm not speaking figuratively," he stated firmly. "Perhaps when a summoner sends, the dreams don't fade away, but that doesn't change the fact. Dreams have to end." Still curious, Yuna cocked her head as she listened, not entirely sure where he was going with this. "The fayth… they've been on this world a long time, tormented by their imprisonment, and will do just about anything at this point to be free of it. For whatever reason, they've got it in their heads that you and us," her friends and Auron and Jecht, "are the only ones capable of doing it. Braska's pilgrimage was, after all, where it all started. They brought Jecht to Spira to fight against Sin, so that when Tidus came, he'd have something to fight for. Or maybe Jecht was their first attempt that ended in failure. I don't know. But it all started eleven years ago, with the three of us.

"So I suppose that's why they think the three of us are important to ending it."

Yuna wasn't slow; she could gather what he was saying.

"My father's here too…" she muttered, turning back to look out at the city. The idea didn't quite sit with her. It didn't seem believable and she had a hard time, despite how she'd said it, fathoming such a thing to be real. She didn't know what to think, or how to feel. Mostly she felt an odd sort of emptiness—unable to comprehend.

"Your mother too," Auron added, Yuna blinking but unable to offer any sort of response. "But you need to understand that this place is no different than the Farplane. Perhaps they are here, and you may see them, but they're dead Yuna. As dead as they were the first time you beckoned them in the Farplane.

"I'm trying to warn you." His tone softened. "Do not… get attached to this place. It will only bring you more sorrow. I know that, Jecht knows that, and so does your father. He won't be… pleased to know you're here." Because he was just as unhappy at having been brought back as the rest of them.

Yuna didn't respond, her eyes trained on the sky as she glanced up. Her thoughts were stalled, as if her brain were shielded and his words couldn't reach inside. How was she supposed to feel? To know that she might see her parents again, talk to them, but that really they're not there? It must be some kind of torture, she decided, which was why her mind was refusing to digest it. A cruel, disgusting, teasing truth.

Much like Tidus, she found she didn't want to see her father. Or her mother. None of them. It wasn't worth the pain, speaking to them only to see them vanish again. She'd already lived through it once, so it couldn't be any better now.

Abruptly, she wished she'd never gone through the Farplane. That she'd taken a step back and not let her hopes persuade her. What had she gotten herself into?

Part of her wanted to be sick.

"Look, look, there it is!" The voice wasn't one she recognized and, snapped out of her thoughts, Yuna's gaze darted to the house beside Auron's. He too had glanced over, the two of them seeing that a couple had jogged out onto their balcony and were staring up at the sky, pointing. Yuna and Auron, following the gestures, allowed their gazes to turn upward.

Yuna's brows furrowed at what she saw. "What is that?"

"The guardian," Auron replied easily, watching as well. "It's been given the name Leviathan." It was a huge beast, swirling and dancing outside the shield far, far above their heads. It twirled on inside itself, flying without wings. It was incredibly graceful, like a swimmer in the sky—like water in a river. It was too far for Yuna to see details, but it sparkled in the moonlight like a silver fish, splashing in and out of the clouds and between stars. Everyone had left their homes to watch it, or were peering out through windows. Children pointed and laughed, their parents smiling. Like a fleeting hope, it sifted over the shield and vanished as quickly as it'd come.

"I'm not really sure what it is myself," Auron continued after it'd vanished. "It wasn't around before Sin was gone, so it's a new addition to Zanarkand's defenses." Yuna, returning her attention to him, listened patiently, pretending his explanation was enough to distract her from everything else he'd said that night. "It lives outside the shell and never fails to appear when the city is attacked. I've seen it just outside the shell before and it's huge. Much larger than any fiend we ever fought or aeon you summoned. It's a great, shimmering serpent, which is the most I've been able to make out of it. It's always so… twisted and moving so swiftly that it's hard to make out any details."

"And it defends the city?" Yuna asked, glancing back up at the sky. "Like Sin did, before…" Because that's all Sin had been. A soul so warped by time that all it could consider was defending its dream of a city, killing innocents along the way.

"I've considered that perhaps it's something similar," Auron shook his head. "That, despite what happened last time," with Sin, "the fayth called on something similar to defend them, desperate against the Farplane."

"An aeon, then."

"Perhaps, though I pity the soul that became that fayth. Jecht told me that… that being summoned constantly, being pulled on, it destroys a person, drives them insane. He said that's the reason Yu Yevon went insane and couldn't stop. Why he sometimes feels out of control himself just remembering being connected to such a being."

"Then… the fayth forced this… person to become this?" she glanced back over at him.

"No, I don't think so," Auron replied. "It requires a very strong soul to become a fayth, someone determined to be so." Which was why a strong bond between summoner and guardian was required for the Final Summoning. Someone just as vindicated as their summoner in their actions. "Whoever became that… creature… had to have volunteered, otherwise it wouldn't be strong enough to withstand the abuse it gets."

Yuna didn't have to ask in order for him to elaborate.

"It throws itself into battle without qualm. No matter the numbers or the threat, it's always there. Without it, Zanarkand would have been overrun months ago. It has yet to fall and brings the people a sort of hope that perhaps this… war will yet be won."

"Unfortunate creature…" Yuna murmured.

"Yes, truly," Auron agreed with a nod.

All around them, the people of Zanarkand continued to cheer.


	3. Finding that Ocean Dream

"You told her, then," Jecht asked as he and Auron sat on the couch together. One of them had been previously flipping through a blitzball magazine with his feet propped up on the coffee table, the other reading a book quietly. "How'd she take it?"

"With Yuna it's always hard to tell."

"Well what about Braska and Nhefrin?" Jecht asked. "They'll want to know."

"I'm aware of that." Auron pulled his attention from his book, closing it at the same time. "I tried to call him last night, but he didn't pick up his phone. You know how he is about using machina." That wasn't to say he was against it, but that he merely wasn't very good at utilizing it. Nhefrin, for that matter, wasn't that much better. Though she was Al Bhed, she'd never really fit into their lifestyle, having separated herself from her Al Bhed lineage at a young age.

"He was coming over here this morning, wasn't he?" Jecht asked, referring to Auron's house. It was often the meeting place for everyone, despite Jecht and Braska having their own places. Already Jecht was back over after having been there just the night before. But with the visitors sleeping upstairs, he couldn't have been expected to stay away long. At least, this time, Chere had stayed home.

"He was going to drop off some charts to me before we went out on field. Though I have the feeling things might escalate." Hopefully, Braska would be there before any of the newcomers woke up, so Auron and Jecht could explain to him what was going on. Yevon forbid he walk in and spot Yuna right away.

"What are you guys talkin' about?" a perky voice interrupted and, turning around, they saw that Rikku had strolled her way down the stairs and over to their conversation. "Is someone coming over?"

"Er, yeah," Jecht replied gruffly. "Braska…"

"Oh, really?" Her green eyes widened as they deferred to Auron. "Does he know Yunie's here?" Having told Yuna the situation first, Auron had made sure the rest of her friends were aware as well, just so that they could offer the proper support she might need upon encountering her father again. Because there really was no way around it.

"Unfortunately, no." Auron shook his head and reopened his book, intent to end the conversation there. Jecht, on the other hand, chuckled, unsure what to make of the uneven dynamic he'd noticed between his old friend and the young woman the night before. They acted as if they didn't get along, yet if Auron truly disliked a person, he was never shy about distancing himself, or telling them outright. Yet he put up with Rikku.

"What are you reading?" she asked as she plopped right down beside Auron, appearing quite childish with her long blonde hair falling carelessly over her shoulders, which were clad in only one of Auron's oversized t-shirts. One of the many Abes shirts Jecht had given him that his younger friend never wore.

She didn't seem at all shy about her naked legs.

Auron, perturbed by her pestering, tightened his lips and looked down at her disapprovingly. She acted completely innocent however, waiting patiently for him to answer.

"A book," was all he eventually said.

"Well I know that!" Rikku crossed her arms harshly over her chest. "E's hud yh eteud. Fro tu oui ymfyoc dayca sa..." She pouted then.

"I don't always tease you," he replied without looking at her, Rikku's eyebrows rising considerably at his reply. Jecht, watching the exchange with no comment, took note of the way Auron's lips curved up at one side.

"Since when do you speak Al Bhed?" she asked accusingly.

"Since always," was his vague reply, despite how much of a lie it probably was. He'd picked up the language at some point, not that it was any of her business when that had been.

"You're so mean to me…" She was pouting again and Auron sighed rather dramatically. Jecht cocked a skeptical brow. Silence overcame them for a moment, Rikku's expression clearing away for contemplation before her eyes narrowed and she glanced back up at Auron.

She grinned mischievously. "So Auron," she addressed him again, forcing him to once again pull back from his book. He stared straight ahead however, not at all enthused with her badgering. "You've been living in Zanarkand for a while then." She smiled wider. "Meet anyone?"

"What?" His deep voice got slightly higher, grating against the air at the absurdity of her question.

"You know," she continued to tease, Jecht chuckling from his position across from them. "Meet any girls lately?" Auron's lips tightened. "I mean, you must have. You're a catch." She slapped him cheerfully on the arm, forcing him to lean away from her. "Second best guardian that ever lived and all. Plus, now you're young again."

"Second best?" He sounded affronted at the label.

"Oh yeah," she nodded enthusiastically. "Tidus took that title from you." She was enjoying this way too much. "There's even statues of him being made to go in the temples with Yunie's." Auron looked more displeased if at all possible, Jecht guffawing in response.

"That kid the best guardian that ever lived?" His father apparently couldn't believe it.

"It's true." Rikku nodded. "You've all but been forgotten." She laid her hand comfortingly on Auron's shoulder then. "Don't worry though, I'll always remember you."

"Go away Rikku." He shrugged her off and tried to go back to his book.

"You didn't answer my question." She wasn't persuaded. "Have you met any-"

"No," he snapped. "Now leave me alone."

Rikku frowned. "What's your problem?" she asked, sounding honestly offended. "Why do you hate me so much?" Her offense quickly turned to anger and hurt. "What'd I ever do to you?! You big meanie!" She slapped him harshly on the arm then before pushing herself into standing. Huffing, she stomped away, Auron watching her go as he rubbed the smart where she'd punched him.

Jecht was still laughing. "Thank goodness you never had kids of your own," he commented, Auron casting his old friend a disgusted look. Mostly because Jecht was no way in the running for father of the year.

"Shut up, Jecht," was the best he could come up with in response and, tossing his book harshly to the table, he stood before heading off as well. Jecht took note, however, that he went off in Rikku's direction. Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps, he couldn't focus on the thought for long. Mostly because, within the moment, the front door opened.

Alert, he jumped to his feet and headed straight over to the entrance.

"Braska," he said, aware he was alone and without backup from Auron.

"Jecht," the retired summoner replied in surprise, his soft voice much smoother than his guardian's. "I didn't know you were going to be here." He walked in, quite as familiar with the place as Jecht. He no longer sported his summoner garb, instead donning a pair of brown slacks and a blue button-down shirt, the buttons left undone to reveal his white t-shirt. Simple and sophisticated, that was Braska.

"Uh, well," Jecht cleared his throat. "Just thought I'd… drop by…" His eyes drifted to the side.

"Right…" Braska grinned, but didn't seem to be buying it. "Where's Auron?"

"He's, uh, he's busy," Jecht replied, the room falling silent just in time to hear Rikku's high-pitched objection.

"That is not an apology!" she shouted before stomping back inside from the balcony. Heading for the stairs, she saw Jecht and Braska standing there, looking at her in surprise, but was far too vexed to care very much. Instead, she settled for a simple, "Good morning, Uncle Braska," before stomping her way up the stairs.

Braska blinked, Jecht's stomach sinking as Auron, looking more exasperated than ever, drudged back into the room.

"Wh-what… Who was that?" Braska stuttered, gesturing toward the stairs with wide eyes. Upon seeing him standing there, Auron's posture straightened and he joined up at Jecht's side.

"That was… Rikku…" Auron offered.

"Rikku," Braska repeated. "As in Rikku, my niece? As in Cid's daughter? That Rikku?"

"Yes…" Auron verified slowly.

"Well why is she here?" Braska demanded in as much of a strict voice as so soft a man could muster. Then, abruptly, a look of horror fell over his face. "She's not dead is she?"

"No!" Both Auron and Jecht cut in at the same time. "She's alive," Auron continued the explanation. "Very, very much alive…"

"Then… why is she here?" Braska's eyes darted between the two of them. Jecht and Auron glanced at each other uncertainly before, with a sigh, Auron gave in.

"She's not the only one here," he started first. "She and some of her friends came in through the Farplane." Braska had an obviously questioning look on his face, as if asking why, or how, or every question he could muster. "Apparently, because of what's going on here, the Farplane has become unstable in Spira. And since Sin was defeated and Yevon exposed, Spira's kind of… fallen into governmental disarray." Braska wasn't understanding what this had to do with anything. "So when this whole Farplane thing came up, the people went to the only person they… could."

"Who?" Braska held his hands up questioningly, totally and utterly confused.

"Your daughter," Jecht replied gruffly, Braska turning his attention to his other guardian quickly.

"Yuna…?" he said quietly.

"Yes," Auron nodded. "So she and her guardians went to investigate. Which is why they… ended up here." Which would explain Rikku's presence because, even if Braska didn't know for sure who his daughter's guardians had all been, he could easily make assumptions.

"My daughter…" Braska's voice had fallen to barely above a whisper as he gulped. "My daughter is here?" He pointed down at the floor, his face draining of all its color, leaving only his wide blue eyes. "Right now, in this house?" His voice got more strained as he spoke.

"I already warned her that you're here," Auron tried to soothe the situation, though he knew perfectly well there was nothing he could do. "And I tried to call you… but…" his voice faded as Braska's eyes flicked away, focusing on something behind them. And based on how he gaped, it didn't take much to figure out what had drawn his attention.

"Yuna…?" He said her name breathlessly, all of them turning to see her. She stood at the base of the stairs, draped in the long, white summer dress she'd arrived in. Her hair, it'd grown since last he'd seen her, or so Auron had noticed the day before. It reached just below her collar, seeming to draw attention to her fine shoulders. Her beauty was just as stunning as it'd always been, though perhaps a little harder than before. Lips tight, she stared at them from behind her blue and green eyes, just as frozen in shock as her father.

Silence weighed heavily between them.

Neither Auron nor Jecht really knew for how many seconds, minutes, they stood there, staring at each other. It wasn't until Braska, after digesting that this beautiful young woman actually was his daughter, released the breath he'd been holding that life seemed to come back into the space. He was completely blown away by her. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been seven years old, crying, small. Now she was a full-grown woman who'd inherited all her mother's beauty. She'd defeated Sin, this woman, with Auron and her guardians. She'd been a summoner.

She was his daughter.

"Yuna…" he repeated again and, without even considering it, he swept forward. Reaching her, he slowed only as he approached, her big eyes flicking quickly back and forth as she stared up at him.

Reaching out, he hesitated for only a moment before allowing his fingertips to grace her cheek. It was warm, her own eyes widening further at the contact. Yet, despite how she might react, he couldn't help himself. Soon both his hands were reaching up to cradle her face, his eyes blinking quickly against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

Pulling her forward, he enveloped her in an embrace, his eyes closing as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He didn't notice how she stiffened in his hold, how her eyes widened in panic. He was too preoccupied with the fact that, for the first time in eleven years, he was holding his daughter in his arms. His daughter, who he'd left to protect and whom he'd thought he'd never see again.

Yuna, on the other hand, had no idea how she was supposed to be reacting. Rather, she tried not to shove him away and return upstairs. Part of her didn't want to face this, yet at the same time, her body remained stationary. And as she breathed, slowly in an effort to calm herself, she caught the familiar smell of scrolls and mint that echoed in her childhood memories.

Abruptly, it all came collapsing down on her at once. All the time after Sin had been defeated that she'd sat in Besaid, tears streaming down her face as she'd longed for the only person that had ever meant anything to her, at least back then. Her father, who'd raised her after her mother's death and tried his hardest to protect her, even though that had meant leaving her behind. The man that had shielded her from the coarse words of those who'd taken error with her mother and her heritage, who had always assured her that there was nothing to be ashamed of in who she was.

The man that had inspired her dreams.

She didn't realize it, but tears were streaming down her face, her hands reaching up to grip tightly at the back of her father's shirt. She buried her face in his chest, reveling in that smell she'd never been able to find anywhere else.

Her father, Braska, was there.

He was really there.

**oOo**

It wasn't long after their reunion that Braska, after composing himself as best he could, had called his wife. Nhefrin, Yuna's mother and a woman she hardly knew, yet had always dreamed of, was alerted to what had happened and came rushing over as soon as her husband had explained everything. Soon after, a reunion similar to the one Yuna had shared with her father commenced and everyone, because all in the house were awake at this point, watched with tears in their eyes as Yuna got to do what none of them ever would. Her parents had been brought back from the dead and she was getting to speak with them, touch them, know them. The privilege of her situation was apparent to all of them, even Yuna herself, and despite the warning Auron had given her the night before, she found herself happier than she had been in over a year.

Obviously, Braska hadn't gone out on duty as he'd been expected to do, Auron and Jecht going out instead and filling in for him. Hours went by where they talked, just the three of them, about everything that had happened. About Sin, their marriage, their family, what Yuna had accomplished. It seemed to pour out of them all, the other three listening quietly and smiling when, abruptly, one of the suddenly united family would be overcome by tears. Soon, half the day had passed, their timeline of discussed events finally having reached present day.

"But why were you put in charge of part of the Zanarkand military?" Yuna asked, looking between both her parents, as it would seem her mother too was involved, heading her own faction. The conversation had finally come around to more serious topics, neither party too apt to care. All that really mattered was that they were able to talk to one another. Sure, subject matter made things interesting, but it certainly wasn't a determining factor.

"That actually had a lot to do with Jecht," Braska explained from his position at the corner of the couch perpendicular to the one Yuna and Nhefrin sat in. Yuna's mother had her daughter's hand squeezed in her own, not at all intent on letting it go. "Everyone here knows him and when he showed up after being gone for ten years, able to explain what was going on, the Zanarkand officials had little choice but to trust him. Thus, through him, we were all appointed to our current positions."

"I see," Yuna nodded, her eyes falling to the floor. Again, Auron's words about not getting attached flashed through her head, spurred by the thought of Zanarkand. Yet, again, she found she couldn't distance herself. Even at the threat of sorrow in the end. These were her parents after all; she should take advantage of the situation, shouldn't she?

"It's not so bad actually," Braska continued. "With the exception of Jecht drinking too mu-"

"Hey, look!" Rikku had gone to the window some few moments before, to gaze out at the city, her attention unable to be retained by the conversation between Yuna and her parents. Though she, as well as the rest present, were glad to see that Yuna could enjoy such a reunion, it also festered a kind of unpleasant envy none would ever admit to. "Something's happening outside the shell."

Eyebrows furrowed, Braska rose from his seat to join Rikku at the window. Upon glancing out, his whole form stiffened and he detoured across the room to the doors that led out onto the balcony. Surprised at her husband's abrupt actions, Nhefrin, despite how her hand lingered on Yuna's, trailed after him. The rest of the room watched, as if paralyzed initially by the strange behavior. But, eventually, they seemed to realize they weren't strapped to the observations of such natives and, gravitating to the windows as well, peered up at the sky. Yuna joined her parents on the balcony.

"What's happening?" she asked as she observed, eyes narrowed at the shield above. She wasn't the only one either, by any means. In the houses nearby, their neighbors had also come to look, most of them either gaping or shrinking back in fear.

"It's an attack," Braska verified, all seriousness, his daughter glancing up at him with a curiously intense gaze.

"The sent," Nhefrin cut in, her velvety voice shaking memories somewhere in the back of Yuna's head. "They're attacking the shield." Above them, pyreflies swarmed the shell, blocking out the superficially dreamed day shining down on them through the clouds. And as they continued to watch, Yuna was able to make out shapes. They came together atop the shell, aggressively barraging it before shattering into pyreflies once again. They had no sense of their own wellbeing, these fiends. Some shared in animalistic traits, others were human. The latter seemed to last a bit longer against the surging power of the shell, but they too were scattered to the air soon enough.

Despite this defense however, Yuna could see the way the power of the shell rippled through the air, like a sea standing above their heads. With enough force and determination, the dead might yet break through, a danger that Yuna could see painted in her parents' eyes. In the looks and fears of the other citizens watching. They all knew, no matter the strength of the barrier, that it couldn't stand up forever.

"Look, there!" A woman a house above Yuna shouted. "It's Leviathan!" The crowds of people, families inhabiting the houses, began to talk then, their voices rising above the city as they watched the silver serpent snake through the sky. With a vicious snarl that was audible even to those below, it tossed itself into the battle, swimming body surging forth with aggressive grace.

It cut its way through the friends, sending them scattered and breaking into pyreflies. For a moment, the attention of the attack turned on the aeon, the fiends changing their target. Yet, even as Leviathan broke up the opposition, as they clawed toward, it, the sky was abruptly clear.

Suddenly the sun's rays through the clouds struck once more down upon the city, Leviathan shining in the pockets of light like a silver needle among the clouds. The crowd fell silent, Braska and Nhefrin both twitching closer to the edge of the balcony, eyes wide.

"What happened?" Rikku asked as she skipped her way to the ledge of the balcony as well. Yet, when Braska and Nhefrin failed to answer, when none of the other citizens of the city spoke on the subject, it became evident that none of them knew. Even Leviathan, who'd whipped back and forth with the audacity of a whip moments before, was oddly slowed, as if it too were taken aback by the abrupt retreat.

"Fiends don't run…" Braska observed quietly, the truth of his examination ringing real with all of them. They'd fought enough of the dead to know that nothing short of breaking them into pyreflies (and sending them to the Farplane) was likely to dissuade them. To have them suddenly disappear, the shining souls fluttering off, was the farthest thing from normal. Only the strongest of fiends, those closest to that of being humans, had been able to think logically enough to retreat. But those above the shell… many of them had taken the form of beasts.

Leviathan, just as suspicious of what had happened as the dreams down below, slowly flitted to the shield, able to balance atop it as though it were glass. It's long head flicked back and forth, it's tail jerking this way and that with what Yuna thought might be nerves. It was watching, just as they all were, it's four clawed legs resting lightly upon the shell.

Silence seemed to have engulfed the city.

Breathing deeply, Yuna attempted to understand, to come to some conclusion, but it all eluded her, just as it did her parents and friends. Eyes narrowed, she watched Leviathan just as critically as everyone, a tenseness causing her heart to speed up with every second. The air was thick, she realized. Static perhaps. And as she determined this, she imagined the snap that would release it all; that would release them from the heavy weight.

Despite the winter temperatures, she felt hot.

She was about to ask whether anyone else felt the same, but as she considered the notion, everything around her felt as though it were caving in. With a crack and a twist, the sky was gone, the air feeling as though it were vacuumed from her very lungs. Gasping, she surged forward a step, her hands coming together beneath her chin as she watched.

As Leviathan was engulfed by millions of pyreflies.

"An ambush," Braska breathed, all of them out on the balcony by this point, watching with gaping mouths the display above their heads. The sun was completely eclipsed by pyreflies now, the light that had been shining into the city saturated and shadowed as the sun reflected off the millions of tiny souls. Rainbows were echoed down upon the city as if they were inside a kadelescope, the shapes twitching across buildings, through water, and over the skin of those who witnessed the attack.

The city was so silent, so in awe and shock, that when the blood-curdling scream of a growl erupted above them, every single person, dream, swore their heart stopped.

Yuna moaned unconsciously despite how she couldn't see what as happening. Her whole body trembled with the ear-piercing sound, which spoke only of pain and anguish.

"The fiends, they're attacking it," Lulu murmured, obviously referring to Leviathan. "They lured it and came back with more force than before…" Which was a bit of an understatement. There were ten times the number of pyreflies now, forming into fiends and throttling the aeon. They assumed it tried to fight back, but against so many…

"This is a larger attack than anything we've seen yet," Nhefrin verified. "So much larger…"

"There has to be something we can do!" Yuna turned suddenly to her parents, desperation coming to her from nowhere she could place. But it assaulted her more swiftly than she knew, shaking her body into a panic. "It'll die!" She whipped her gaze back up to the sky.

"The only way to attempt anything would be for a summoner to pray to the fayth to open the shell," Nhefrin shook her head. "And if we did that now, the city would be overrun." Destroyed by the sheer number of fiends now present. "That's a risk we… we can't take."

Yuna, however, upon hearing the explanation, closed her eyes and prayed harder than she ever had in her whole life. If her father or mother, or friends, objected to her attempts, she didn't hear them. She reached out to the fayth, even more frantic when they turned their spiritual backs to her. They wouldn't answer. They weren't going to try.

She went for anything that might reach back to her.

That was when she felt it, the ripping agony. Flicking her eyes open again, she grabbed the balcony rail, unconsciously lamenting aloud against the strain. At the same moment, with a crash that sent thousands of ripples across the shield, Leviathan's body slammed into the shell above them, the serpent's form slipping across the dome and leaving stretches of red in it's wake. It streaked down motionless, Yuna feeling her heart break at the sight.

Yet still the pyreflies came. They became fiends all around it, biting and clawing at the defenseless creature.

Yuna, despite the pain that echoed in her mind, reached out to it again.

She felt that pull.

" _Get up!"_

She watched.

And with a flicking type of momentum, Leviathan was up again, twitching into the air and screeching through the pyreflies. It's scream echoed through the shell, through the farplane, and with a great explosion the fiends surrounding it were cast off, sent shattering through the air. Circling higher and higher, it drew the pyreflies after it before, with a great flash, a giant cascade of water flooded down from the heavens. It swept the fiends away, drowning their power, before splashing down upon the shell. It shook the entire city, the sky momentarily clouded with the crystalized view water.

When the liquid cleared, seeping down the side of the shell, the sky was barren once again, revealing the still figure of Leviathan silhouetted by the sun.

It hovered there, static, for the longest seconds Yuna had experienced in a long time. Then, as if the life had been sucked from it, it fell.

It plummeted from the sky.

The whole city watching, Leviathan crashed once more atop the shield, though this time it was still as it laid there before, only seconds between, it slipped once more down the dome, even more red streaked in its wake.

It fell, down, down, down into the snow somewhere at the city's edge, the blood that had been left behind slowly absorbed by the shell before it was gone.

Everything was clear as if nothing had even happened. Only the clattering echo in Yuna's bones remained as proof, her eyes wide as she stared at the nothingness now apparent above the city.

Her breathing trembled yet, ears ringing with the splintering cry that seemed to barrage in the falls and mountains of the Farplane.

"I don't understand…" Lulu's empty, shocked voice said a moment later. "Aeons, they… they don't bleed…" Because the sight of the red had been an image none of them could quickly erase from their minds.

"Though Leviathan is an aeon, it's transformation is more pure than any aeon you've ever encountered," the small voice surprised them all, each of them turning to see the young, transparent boy hovering behind them.

Bahamut.

Yuna, abruptly assaulted by anger, couldn't find her voice in order to make her thoughts clear. The red, that was all she could see.

"What do you mean?" Braska asked curiously, the only one of them other than Yuna who was well-versed in the ways of the aeons.

"The difference is that when summoners call aeons, their existence is born of the summoner's soul," he explained, sounding only moderately sad, or so Yuna decided. "Even the Final Aeon, which is the uniting of a summoner's soul with that of a guardian in order to create a fayth, it still dependent on the strength of the summoner. The aeon is called and realized through the summoner's soul, which is why, if against an enemy too strong, it can evaporate back into the summoner."

"The summoner is a go-between…" Braska deduced.

"Exactly," the fayth nodded. "The aeon is like a shield. Once it's broken through, the damage then goes to the summoner. Leviathan is different, however." He paused, to sigh, before continuing. "It does not have the stability of being joined with a summoner, as a Final Aeon does, which is why it… it is subject to insanity," like Yu Yevon, "but it wasn't imprisoned as we were." All the fayth. "Its flesh was not turned to stone, forced to serve the one that summoned it.

"That is why we needed summoners," his explanation went on. "Our bodies were stone, but our souls could be joined. Leviathan, however, instead of turning to stone, he was able to retain his physical shape, which is why he doesn't need a summoner and why he… bleeds, as if made of flesh. Because he… he is." His gaze diverted to the side. "Leviathan's flesh body was what was used to create that creature. Transformed, it still retains its original figure."

"Then it… when it fights," Nhefrin offered, "it's not able to regenerate itself like the aeons we knew could? If suffers true physical damage…?"

Bahamut nodded.

"It risks much more then, throwing itself into battle that way," Braska deduced, sympathy coating his voice. "It could very well… bleed to death…" If not taken care of properly, in any case.

"Yes," the fayth verified.

"But, if it didn't go through a summoner, how did it become an aeon in the first place?" Lulu asked. "Yu Yevon, he was the summoner that turned you, the original citizens of Zanarkand, into fayth. I don't understand how this is possible…"

"If one with the ability to summon were to know how, they could turn themselves into a fayth. Into an aeon." Perhaps as Seymour's mother had, though she too had become a stone.

"So Leviathan was a summoner that turned itself into an aeon?" Rikku tried to make things as simple as possible.

"Yes," the fayth nodded. "Though a summoner is really no one more than an individual with the strength and determination to endure what is asked of them. That is why we always had humans pray to us, so that we might gauge the strength of their souls to know whether they were strong enough to carry the aeons or not." Whether they possessed the endurance and drive to go through with it.

"Then… Leviathan was… alive before it became a fayth?" Braska asked, the usage of the word "alive" strictly categorized. He was referencing how it meant to be as Yuna and her friends were.

"Apparently," the fayth shook his head. "It is an anomaly that none of us have been able to comprehend, that a dream could somehow take this form. We don't understand it ourselves, what has happened."

"Then it  _was_  one of the citizens of Zanarkand," Nhefrin inferred.

"Yes." Bahamut nodded twice.

"One of your own creations, then." Yuna finally found her voice, though it came out cold and unforgiving. "Yet you left it there to die." Her last drew the focus of everyone, the animosity in her tone obvious.

The fayth didn't reply.

"You turned your backs to me when I asked that you help it," him, whatever it was. "You abandoned it."

"Leviathan wouldn't have wanted us to risk opening the shell to assist it," Bahamut defended. "He became an aeon knowing what it meant. He wanted to protect the people of Zanarkand, even at the cost of his own life. Opening the shell would have completely defeated his purpose in doing what he did." Though he said it straight, the sadness in his voice was apparent. "I didn't enjoy watching what happened any more than you, My Lady." He took a deep breath. "But I know you reached out to it." Yuna's eyes fell to the side. "It wasn't asking for help. It didn't want any, despite how you tried."

Silence fell on the group then, Yuna rebellious in her attempts to accept this truth. Perhaps it hadn't asked for help, but the pain, the agony… She'd only felt an echo of it. What had been real must have been… beyond words.

"I want to find it," Yuna eventually decided. "The fiends are gone now, you can let me outside the shell."

"Yes, we could do that now," Bahamut verified.

"You'll take me to where it fell." She turned her cold gaze on the fayth, her demanding tone not lost on anyone.

"If that's what you want." And the fayth replied obediently.

Yuna pursed her lips, determination flaring in her eyes as it hadn't done in over a year. Recognizing this, all her friends stood a little taller, taking up their guardian stances. And Braska and Nhefrin, who could sense the change just as well, found themselves in awe of their daughter and her ability to rally such strength as well as support. Though young, a woman stood before them, unafraid and ready for anything that was going to come her way. She was bigger, stronger, and flowing with vigor.

A powerful soul.

A summoner through and through.

**oOo**

The trip through Zanarkand was longer than Yuna would have liked. And because she was so thoroughly distracted, she couldn't even sit back and admire the city from her position in the passenger side of her father's car. Rikku and Lulu were with her as well, Wakka riding with her mother in the vehicle following behind. Soon enough though, they were in what Yuna was told was the east side of the city. The buildings dwindled, the metropolis diminishing to only one tier as they cruised down around near the barrier.

The came to a slow halt upon spotting Bahamut shimmering against the shell, waiting for them. Auron and Jecht were there as well, Braska having called them after the attack to let them know what they were on their way to do. Or, rather, what Yuna had decided they were going to do.

None had objected, after all.

Pulling the two cars to the side and setting them down on the ground alongside Auron and Jecht's, the whole party exited before walking along the edge of the shell to where the fayth was waiting for them.

"Where is everybody?" Rikku asked as they walked, glancing around. It hadn't gotten by any of them that there was no one else around. In fact, aside from the wide highway (perhaps an old road that wasn't used anymore?), they were barely within a mile of any buildings. Yet, despite how this area was neglected, one would think that, if this really was the area where Leviathan had fallen, it'd be crawling with people. But not a single soul stirred aside from themselves.

"No one comes here anymore," Auron explained as they reached him and Jecht, having overheard the question. "They're too afraid."

The curious looks he got were enough to excite further explanation.

"You can't see it now because of the highway," Jecht took over, "but if we were to keep walkin' this way," he gestured back behind him and Auron, "we'd come up on the first attack site."

"There wasn't a shell around Zanarkand when the city was originally revived in the Farplane," Braska interjected. "A good chunk of it was completely destroyed in the first wave of attacks. Because of that, and the fiends there, people stay as far away as possible. We have soldiers posted around it to keep the fiends from entering the rest of the city because, despite my attempts at a sending, there are still some clinging to life."

"I'm sure there are people watching from the buildings, looking this way," it went back to Auron, "but they're far too traumatized to actually come here. This is, after all, a city that knows very little of death and destruction." Quite the opposite of those from Spira.

"Leviathan," they turned to the fayth then, "fell somewhere outside here." He pointed to the area beyond the barrier. "I can sense him, but I dare not go too far from the city." None of the fayth could afford to lose any of their own. Even one link could prove the unraveling of everything. The only defense between the dream and the dead.

"Thank you." Yuna nodded to Bahamut, signaling him to allow them passage. Turning to the shell, the small fayth put forth the needed amount of concentration and within the moment, a hole just large enough for them to fit through dissolved. Stepping forward without any hesitation, Yuna unknowingly led the way, her determination to find the aeon spurring her forward.

As soon as they were all outside the shell, Bahamut closed it and said he'd wait for them to come back, so as to let them inside again. Armed and ready for anything, the two summoners and their guardians stepped on through the snow, most of the newcomers thankful for the additional clothes and boots they'd acquired. After all, they had arrived wearing attire fit for Besaid.

Staff in hand, Yuna gripped it tightly as they headed up a snow bank. She wasn't quite sure how she knew, but something inside told her she was headed in the right direction. Not just because Bahamut had pointed them in the general direction, but there was more. She knew, as she faced forward, that if she kept walking in that straight line, she'd come upon the beast. She wondered, vaguely, if it was calling to her, asking for help, but the idea was quickly discounted. It wasn't that the aeon itself was pulling her, but rather something else. As if she, like the fayth, could sense it.

"Yuna, slow down," Auron scolded her and, surprised, she paused before turning to see that the rest of the group was some ways behind her. Apparently she'd been walking a little faster than the rest of them. "You don't know what you're going to find. Besides, we are your guardians."

Yuna's shoulders dropped, a small smile gracing her lips. "Not anymore," she corrected.

"We'll always be your guardians," Lulu added, smiling equally, and Yuna sighed good-naturedly.

"It's hard to believe," Braska started as he met her, his hand lying softly on her shoulder, "that my daughter is the summoner credited with finally bringing peace to Spira." His proud expression caused Yuna slight embarrassment, her eyes falling to the side.

"I hardly deserve the credit," she replied. "We did it together." Her friends seemed to appreciate the compliment, nobody finding any real point in disagreeing. Perhaps because, though they had done it together, it was due to a certain other's influence and inspiration that they got as far as they did. At least, in the sense of progression from what had been old ways.

Grouped together once more, they headed up over the top of the hill, Yuna now centered between her friends. Auron and Rikku were out front, leading the way. Sword and claw ready, they reached the top of the hill, their eyes the first to see what was beyond.

Rikku's swift intake of breath told all.

"There it is…" she said as Yuna reached their position. Peering out across the Farplane, Yuna felt her heart go out to the scene before her. The snow was scattered and sheered, having splashed out as the great body had crashed down upon it. Coiled in and over itself, it lay still in the red stained ice, marks scattered all over its body.

"It is… dead?" Wakka asked as they glanced down at it. No part of it was moving. It simply continued to slowly bleed out before them, far too injured to even realize they were there. If it still lived.

"Yuna, be careful!" Lulu scolded as she took the initiative and started her way on down the hill. The others followed close behind, Yuna completely oblivious to them as she looked the creature over.

Upon closer inspection, she could see that, despite how it appeared in the sky, it wasn't, in fact, silver, but a light, crystal blue. Armored scales trickled up and down its length, shining in the light and creating the fish-like shine it gave off. It was much bigger, also, than even she'd originally thought. Were she to be standing beside it, her height compared to its around-width would be nearly equal. And as far as how long it was, well, far beyond what they could measure offhand.

Creeping onward, Yuna made sure to keep a good amount of distance between it and herself as she surveyed the damage. It really was scratched up some, but nothing that might hinder its health as apparently the attack had. But, as coiled as it was, she couldn't possibly see the extent of the marks. There was a very generous amount of blood seeping beneath it, so, somewhere, it was deeply injured.

Crossing around one side of it, Yuna came to an abrupt stop upon encountering its head. Laid out on its side, its mouth was gaping open, revealing rows of giant, razor-sharp teeth, some of which were easily the size of her arm. The eyes were closed and, gulping, Yuna crept a little farther forward. Only, then, to be stopped when both Lulu and her father's hands reached out to her shoulders.

She glanced back at them with pursed lips.

"If that thing wakes up and thinks you're a fiend, it'll snap you in half," her father lectured seriously, Lulu nodding in agreement. Despite their logic, Yuna felt herself inexplicably drawn to it. Thus, without even a few thoughts to her safety, she shrugged them off. She went on, all of them right behind her. For, if she was to heal, what else could they do?

"Yuna, why don't you let me go first…" Braska tried to reason, but he was ignored. Yuna, braver than even she'd imagined herself to be, soon founder herself right beside it's giant nose, which, though by its size would be considered light, was breathing deeply enough to nearly knock her back.

So it was, in fact, alive.

"Can either of you even heal something this big?" Rikku asked curiously, her voice so soft that they could barely hear her. Neither Yuna nor Braska answered her and, still rounding the head, Yuna soon spotted the eyes, which were tightly closed beneath layers of blue, marble-like horns protruding from the top of its head.

Unconsciously, Yuna found her hand out before her, eyes completely focused on the aeon.

"Yuna!" Auron hissed, but she didn't hear him. It was too late.

Her fingers gently pressed down on the scales crusted over what she interpreted was the creature's forehead. It was cold, so cold, like ice but so smooth that she wasn't sure if it wasn't water instead. Her whole hand pressed down onto it, the chill so severe she thought that perhaps it would burn her. The scalding feeling shot through her whole body, but nothing actually happened. Instead, she felt a twitching like flick in the back of her mind, her eyes darting from her hand up to its eye.

An ocean blue eye, wide open and staring up at her.

Her breath caught in her throat, her heart coming to a halting stop.

For a few seconds, time seemed to pause, her own eyes widening as she took in the rounded, dark, swimming pupil that zeroed in on her. And all around it flowed the water—a blue that sparked somewhere in her memories, but that she was too shocked to really place.

The severity was paralyzing.

Perhaps, initially, she might have considered that the aeon was just as shocked to see her as she was to catch its gaze herself, but the notion of such was quickly pushed aside when a dark chill swept up through her arm. It all happened very quickly then.

That piercing pupil thinned to a line, the blue seeming to cloud over and freeze. A great snarl ripped through the entire beast and, before she could even realize what had happened, Yuna found herself souring back through the air and landing gracelessly in the snow some twenty feet away. Ignoring how the cold seeped through her clothes, she flung her head back up just in time to watch the growling beast slowly raise itself from the ground. Mouth agape, it pulled itself up and up until it was some fifty feet above them.

It was then that she saw the extent of its injuries.

Blood dripped from its mouth, as if the red liquid had been stirred by the movement. And down, across its chest, was a large, bleeding gash. It streamed with scarlet, one of the main injuries contributing to the stained snow.

The other was a giant, deep, running hole on its left side where, based on what she'd seen previously, Yuna assumed it'd possessed a front leg. The limb was ripped completely gone now, the skin and muscle where it'd once been overflowing and dripping with blood.

Yes, Yuna was then positive that if it wasn't healed, it would surely die.

Yet despite this realization, she was unable to act. Her body didn't respond to any inclination she pushed at it. All she could do was continue to gape up at the aeon which, despite its size, she was positive was staring directly at her. Its lips curled, the thin spikes along its head and back ruffling until they were pointed erect. It breathed heavily, the air between them static as those unfeeling blue eyes took her in.

She was defenseless.

Still however, she felt no fear. Rather, as she had earlier that day, she attempted to reach out to it. Concentrating on those blue eyes, she prayed as she had so many times before, willing herself to break down the barriers between her consciousness and the aeon's before her. Yet, as she approached its awareness, it reared back even further in the snow, as if offended by her attempts.

For a moment, those pupils were rounded again, but the growling and spitting overtook it and the gaze became feral once more.

Screaming, it shoved her attempts to reach it back, crossing a shock through her head that nearly made her gasp.

Screaming, it surged forward, Yuna unable to move as those teeth, bared and ready, barreled down on her. It was going to tear her apart, she saw it coming, yet there was nothing she could do. Not even fear was fast enough to beat the jaws ready to rip her to shreds.

If her friends called to her—if they tried to fight it off—she didn't know.

Time rushed at her.

At the last second, as if her body finally realized the danger, she flinched away, ready for the split-moment pain of being torn apart. She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes tight, and tensed in her position stranded in the snow.

She felt that hot breath on her skin, the swooshing of the wind as it charged.

As it became airborne, swooping its wingless body just a hairs breadth beyond her.

Eyes popping back open, Yuna twisted around and watched, nearly blown away by the force of the wind, as the aeon swished through the air above her, skimming over the snow and splattering blood in its wake. Despite how the liquid spotted her skin and clothes, Yuna couldn't look away. Mostly because, despite its attempts at leaving, it was obvious Leviathan was struggling.

Spearheading its way back into the sky, it soon lost its strength and plummeted back down. Somehow however, before it slammed into the ground, it picked itself up once more and, twisting upward, slammed itself into the shell surrounding Zanarkand. Once again, it slipped, unable to remain airborne, and streaked downward. It was determined however and, despite how it slammed into the shield, pushed onward. Over the dome it snaked, only able to remain airborne for seconds at a time.

Soon, within some few seconds, it was gone, still fast and beyond them despite its ailment.

Leviathan vanished into the Farplane, gone and without aid.

"Yunie!" Rikku's voice brought her back to reality and, abruptly aware of the warm blood that stained her body, she turned to see her friends rushing toward her. Like she, they'd been thrown back by the gust the aeon had created when it'd initially gotten up. "Yunie, are you okay?!" Rikku slid down into the snow beside her, green eyes wide and worried.

"I'm fine," Yuna assured, pushing back Rikku's attempts to coddle her. The others reached her soon after, all of them hovering with worried, concerned brows. "It's not my blood," she assured, which meant it could only belong to one other.

"I told you it'd go for you!" Braska scolded despite how he really had no right to do so. It was forgivable, however, when considering how desperately worried they'd all been. "You shouldn't have gotten so close."

"It didn't get me though," Yuna made perfectly clear as she stood, deciding it wasn't worth it to shrug off the help Rikku and Wakka were giving her. Turning around, she glanced back in the direction it'd vanished, wondering, suddenly, why it'd left her unharmed. She could have sworn it'd been intent on killing her, but at the last second had… changed its mind.

Why?

"You're covered in blood," Lulu murmured as she pushed her way through the group, busying herself with fixing Yuna's hair as she always did. Yet the recipient of their fussing registered none of it, her thoughts once again focused on Leviathan. Even as she was escorted back to the shell, she was distracted with what had happened. Not in the sense of being attacked, but in being defenseless to those eyes. They flashed through her consciousness vividly, without mask, and she found them to be the ultimate distraction.

Even as they returned to Auron's house, she could think of nothing but those eyes.

Those ocean blue eyes.

**oOo**

The numbness was fading. A numbness that had been overtaking him for nearly a year now—it was dragging away. Soon enough, he registered that there was pain. And weakness. Things he hadn't even fathomed in months. It leaked over him slowly until, finally, he realized that if something wasn't done, he was going to fade away completely.

It was hard however, reaching back into humanity.

Allowing the memories to wash over him, he tried to find the ones that would be the most helpful against the pain that had soon become agony. He knew, somehow, that there was a little bit of knowledge of White Magic hidden in the crevices of his mind. Though he couldn't clearly locate it, he tried to focus on the idea. On pumping those feelings through his veins and across his skin.

Soon—or maybe it was hours, days—he didn't know, but soon, the feeling of seeping weakness left him. There pain was still there, but no longer did he feel as though he was wavering between one state and the next. He realized that, though he couldn't replace what had been lost, he could patch it up.

That was all he could do, really.

He'd known someone once, someone who'd mastered White Magic. She'd known how to heal, to seal, to separate the healthy from the infected. These were skills he'd never been proficient at, but she had been.

Who had she been?

Those eyes…

Blearily, he opened his own, assaulted by the light that pierced down on him. It was nearly enough to cause him to close them again. But somehow, pulling the strength from places he didn't know, he forced his consciousness to open itself up to the day. He was cold, he eventually realized and, turning his head to the side, he realized it was because he was submerged in snow.

The cold hadn't bothered him before.

There was a large chunk of him missing on one side, he decided. It was numb in places it shouldn't be. This didn't stop him from attempting to move the opposite however and, after what felt like the greatest effort he'd ever given, he raised his right hand up to the sky.

A hand. Bare skin.

A human?

Allowing his arm to fall back into the snow, he took deep, heaping breaths and blinked, attempting to get the fuzziness out of his vision.

It was all so much effort.

For a while, he laid there, watching as the sky went from blue to orange to black. Stars, that was what those were, the flickering lights above him.

He fell asleep, he thought.

He woke up to that dark blanket of heavens, so he couldn't have been out long. Even so, he felt slightly more capable than he had before. Straining, he managed to turn his head one way, then another. Upon facing the left, he spotted the shimmering lights of a city.

 _Zanarkand,_  a voice whispered to him.

He was outside Zanarkand.

Somehow, he knew this was bad. He wasn't safe.

He had to get to the city.

Or maybe it was the city that wasn't safe. Abruptly he wasn't sure. But he did know that, either way, he needed to somehow go in that direction.

He had to.

Zanarkand.


	4. The Joy in Pain

"So… I was wondering," Rikku started as she approached Auron, who was sitting on the couch. Yuna listened to them from her position at the window. "If maybe you could, I dunno," she sidled up next to him, the older man forced into lowering his book to pay attention, "show us around the city or something?" Honestly, it was shocking the question hadn't come up sooner. They were, after all, in Zanarkand. It was likely a given that they'd want to see the place.

"Of course not," Auron replied simply, giving no reason at all. And though Rikku gaped as though affronted, Yuna could detect the joking in his voice, even if her cousin couldn't.

"What do you mean?" Rikku plopped herself down on the couch beside him. "But I want to see the city!" She was pouting, staring up at him through swirling, doe eyes. And Auron, who sighed, supposed he'd have to give in eventually, so it was probably better sooner rather than later.

"I can take you out tomorrow," he decided, going back to his book. "After I get off work." Rikku clapped her hands happily before doing a sort of mini victory dance. And then, glancing over at Auron, she narrowed her eyes contemplatively before, much to his surprise, reaching out and wrapping his shoulders in a tight hug.

"H-hey," his deep voice started in surprise, Yuna glancing over at them then. "Rikku, stop." He tried to push her away, but his attempts were to little avail. Rather, Rikku, who wasn't one to be pushed off, only tightened her hold before, quite on the spur of the moment, managing to lay a quick peck on his cheek.

She then hopped away, turning to him only to say, "Maybe you're not such a meanie after all," before heading around to the kitchen.

Auron, quite annoyed, reached up and wiped the slobber from his cheek, growling as he sat back into the couch and returned to his book.

Shaking her head, Yuna was about to continue gazing out at the city nightlife, but her thoughts weren't going to be allowed their own path. Within the moment, Rikku had hopped over to her as well, looking quite pleased with herself. Yuna raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Are you gonna come with me and Auron tomorrow?" she asked, her gaze somewhat expectant. And despite this question being one that would obviously be asked of her, Yuna had little to say, her mouth opening as she tried to find something to respond with.

"I, well," she was abruptly assaulted by the realization that she had no desire to see the city. "I hadn't planned on it…" The idea actually made her a little sick, but she didn't suppose there were any words she could use to communicate this to her friends.

"But Wakka and Lulu are gonna come," she reasoned, the two being discussed glancing up from their positions at the kitchen table. Rikku had probably asked about their coming upon passing through. "It's gonna be fun."

"I'd rather not, Rikku," Yuna waved her hand and shook her head, trying to dissuade her cousin with a soft smile.

"But why?"

"I… well… it's-"

"Leave her be, Rikku," Auron reprimanded. "If she doesn't want to go, then her reasons for doing so are her own." Rikku looked about to object, to Auron that was, but Jecht, who was sitting on another couch, beat her to it.

"It would be fun if you came along, Yuna," he started. "I know it's a lot bigger than anything in Spira, but it's not so bad." He was assuming that her hesitations stemmed from the city seeming intimidating. Rather, that had nothing to do with it. "We could catch a blitz game," since there was one nearly every night during the on-season.

"Yeah!" Wakka agreed whole-heartedly. "Lets do that!" He'd joined them in the living room, Lulu trailing slowly after. Her attention was on Yuna, her brows concerned. She knew that Yuna had once been quite infatuated with the idea of Zanarkand. But things had changed it would seem, Lulu able to detect a bit of uneasy hurt in Yuna's expression.

"How about this," Lulu started. "I don't really care much for blitzball," unless she knew the team playing, "so how about you four catch the game and I'll stay here with Yuna. I think her feelings are probably aligned with mine. Besides, a little peace and quiet would probably do the both of us good." Because the house was rather loud with all of them there.

"If blitzball isn't your shtick, you can probably get Braska and Nhefrin to show you around some of the museums and stuff," Jecht added, still oblivious. "They like that kind of educational shit." Neither were there, having gone home some few hours before. Ever since the day they'd realized Yuna was there, some two days ago (the same day they'd gone hunting for Leviathan), they'd been dropping by after getting out of work. They didn't like to overwhelm her however, so they never stayed too long into the night, or asked her to come stay with them.

"I think we'll be fine here," Lulu decided quite firmly, the only one (other than Auron perhaps) who understood that Yuna wasn't quite ready to face the city. It still seemed so much like a dream to her, all of it (ironic really). Yet he wasn't there, so it all fell… flat.

"If you say so," Jecht waved them off. "If Tidus were here, he'd disapprove." He didn't mean to touch on the sensitive subject. Rather, his missing son was on his mind more often than not and the words had slipped out quite unintentionally. Yet, as before, he was unaware of the damage he'd committed.

Glancing back to the window, Yuna tried to ignore what he said, but couldn't deny that there was some truth in it. If he were there, he wouldn't want her avoiding the city.

But, if he were there, he'd be the one showing her around. As he'd said he would.

So many promises broken…

The silence that followed Jecht's comment was thick, no one knowing quite what to say in response. Some were at a simple loss for words while others, Wakka and Rikku among them, were still unsure if talking about Tidus was okay. Before any of them could gather their thoughts however, the woman beside Jecht cleared her throat, took a sip of her tea, and sighed.

"Well, Tidus isn't here," Chere interjected rather coldly. "So considering what he'd say is hardly relevant." She glanced up at Jecht. "You should try focusing on other things."

And his response was painted quite obviously across his face. His son was missing during a time of war and she was trying to tell him not to worry? To say he was disgusted was a bit of an understatement. Yet Chere seemed to be quite oblivious to his animosity toward her, despite how everyone else had noticed it within the first day of meeting her. It would appear that they were getting to the root of the problem.

Having turned to watch the exchange, Yuna was vaguely reminded of a few words she and Tidus had exchanged upon entering the Farplane during her pilgrimage.

" _Whenever my old man was around, my mother wouldn't even look at me._ "

It would appear she hardly considered thinking of him either.

"Wherever he is," she continued without even the slightest hint of worry, "I'm sure he's fine." She was looking up at Jecht, completely ignoring the whole room. Which was something she did quite regularly. Almost as if they didn't even exist. "You said it yourself that he's learned to defend himself. He has to grow up sometime." Her harsh words only served to humiliate and anger Jecht further, who was now staring straight ahead with wide eyes and pursed lips. "Have you considered that job offer from the Blitzball Association?"

"No," Jecht said firmly before pushing himself up into standing. He turned and headed toward the kitchen, Chere sighing quite dramatically before following after him. The others exchanged curious, awkward looks, but the most they got in response was a shrug from Auron.

"Jecht." Chere trailed after him, forcing him to stop and acknowledge her. "You've been offered one of the best jobs in the city and you'd rather fight monsters? What's the point?"

"Th-the point?" Jecht balked. "How many times do I have to tell you? This city is in danger! And there isn't much between it and the outside attacks. How can you act like what I'm doing isn't important?"

"Nothing is going to happen." Chere sighed as if she were dealing with a mentally deranged hospital patient. "There's a shell around the city and even when fiends do come in, they're hardly much of a threat." So basically, to her, and nearly every other citizen in Zanarkand, things weren't any different than they had been before. That was the line that was drawn between the city—those who constantly feared for their lives and those who couldn't bring themselves to take it seriously.

"You don't…" Jecht was exasperated, perhaps because they'd had this conversation a dozen times before. "You don't understand, alright? You don't know what the real world is like." Or what was really going on, which was something none of them really had any facts on.

"That doesn't make any sense," Chere countered. "You should be considering your career Jecht, not-"

"My career?" Jecht shook his head. "My career doesn't matter!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Chere rebuked hotly. "I hate what Spira did to you! You've lost all good sense. There was a time when your career was the most important thing to you!"

"Yeah, Chere, it was, and because of that, I barely remember anything from my son's childhood." It all came back around to Tidus. "He's an adult now, and he's gone. Funny how quickly that kind of stuff can happen." He huffed. "I'm not going to spend my time announcing blitzball stats when I might be able to make a difference in saving the people here." Most of which didn't understand how quickly life was swept away or how insignificant they actually were. But that didn't really matter when Jecht considered how much he'd regretted upon being culturally shocked by Spira.

Priorities.

"Will you quit going on about Tidus?!" Their argument was getting rather heated, the others realized, but there wasn't much to do about it. "Since when did you care so much about him? You said it yourself when I got pregnant that you wanted as little to do with him as you could! That children were nothing more than a bur-"

"Yeah, well, maybe I changed my mind," Jecht replied rather immaturely. "Maybe I changed it as soon as he was born and just didn't tell you."

"Well you showed your affection quite convincingly," she replied sarcastically.

"Wh-  _me_?!" he sputtered. "At least I didn't pretend he didn't exist! Don't even look at me that way; I know how you were when I was around, and  _wasn't_  around. The only reason you wanted to have him in the first place is because you needed a play toy to entertain you when I wasn't there. How many times did I have to get after you to take him shopping for school, orchange his diapers, or  _feed_  him because, contraire to popular belief, toddlers shouldn't be allowed to rummage through the fridge on their own. Yet, somehow, he's got it in his head that  _I_  was the horrible parent!" Which served him with guilt because, quite honestly, neither of them had been anything close to good to him. For the short period of time they'd even been around…

"You act like you were some kind of saint!" Chere accused and Jecht growled.

"That's not what I'm…" He huffed again. "You're unimaginable." And it sounded almost like he was stalking away, though where to, none of the others could fathom. The house was only so big, after all.

"I'm just trying to focus on putting our life back together!"

"Don't you get it, Chere?!" Jecht shouted, apparently at his limit with her, and a few in the room listening flinched. "This life isn't real! You died! So did I! We're only here on the basis of trying to fix this whole thing! Or at least I am. Can't really say why you're here!" And the way he said it made it quite apparent that he'd rather she wasn't, which probably wasn't going over well with her.

Before any kind of rebuke could be offered, however, a loud rapping at the door drew everyone's attention. Quick in wanting to halt the argument, Rikku jumped to her feet.

"The food must be here!" she announced rather too loudly before skipping to the door. Hastily pulling it open, and thankful the two combatants were remaining quiet, she prepared a greeting, the words on her lips, but was frozen stiff when she realized it wasn't, in fact, the authentic Zanarkand delivery Auron had ordered earlier (because he refused to cook, apparently).

"You have to let me pay, Rikku," Auron scolded as he got up from the couch, ready to join her at the door and quite unprepared for what awaited him there.

"We…we were just… talking about you…" Rikku muttered as Auron reached her, he too forced into freezing upon seeing the man that stood before them.

"Oh yeah?" was the voice everyone in the house heard and, quite jarringly, recognized. Yuna felt her entire body get cold, her heart freeze. "I guess I do regulate a certain amount of attention." He sounded joking, though he gathered no response. "Hey Auron," he started again a moment later. "You're looking… young."

"Yeah…" Auron stated, equally as shocked as the rest of them. And the only thing Yuna could really process was that, compared to a year before, his voice sounded slightly deeper.

"Is that Tidus?" Jecht's anger had evaporated as he stared at the door, forgetting his wife entirely.

If his son had heard his exclamation, it was ignored.

"So…I guess it's true that you have visitors," that voice continued. "If it wouldn't be too much of a bother, I'd like to be, I dunno, invited in?" He said it as though it were obvious, which it kind of was.

"Uh, right," Auron agreed and, grabbing Rikku by the shoulder, he yanked her back as they stepped out of the way of the door. Despite knowing that he was about to enter, Yuna found herself utterly unprepared. What would she do, or say, or even think? Her breathing picked up abruptly, as did her heart, her whole body running jumbled from her spot beside the window.

All eyes were on the door as he entered, his tall stature a shadow before revealing his full form.

And he was taller, at least a little more so than he had been before. And bigger perhaps, though not nearly as built as his father. About the only thing Yuna really noticed as being the same about him were his boots, which were still the same yellow and black. That aside, he sported dark leather shorts above surprisingly scarred and scratched up legs. Though, still, they weren't as bad as his father's. Above that, a dark, V-neck sweater covered his upper half, a strapped, short leather jacket suctioning to his shoulders and back.

His tanned face was older, sharper, though still possessing some of that boyish charm. His blonde hair was slightly longer, a patterned black bandana tied around his forehead, the excess hanging in front of his left ear.

And those eyes—blue as blue ever was.

Yuna's lips tightened.

When no one initially greeted him, he raised his hands up and linked them behind his head, his gaze becoming uncertain as he surveyed the room. Eventually, his eyes had to find her. And as they did, they both stared at one another, frozen in eye contact.

Yuna found herself unable to look away.

And Tidus, trying to lighten the mood as he always did, managed to find the first word of conversation.

"Hey," he greeted lamely, his eyes still piercing Yuna's own.

Still it took a few more seconds for them all to gather themselves.

"I…" Rikku found her voice first. "I can't believe you're  _here_!" she squealed, abruptly assaulted by happiness. Rushing forward, she threw herself at him in much the same way she had Auron, wrapping him in a hug that thoroughly surprised him and forced him to break eye contact with Yuna.

"Hey Rikku," he smiled slightly, patting her back a little awkwardly as she attempted to squeeze the life out of him.

"You're taller, ya," Wakka's voice still sounded a little of awe, but he approached Tidus nonetheless. "You lookin' good!" He too was quickly taken over by happiness at seeing him, the larger man slapping Tidus good-naturedly on the back and nearly sending him toppling to the floor atop Rikku, who only released him after realizing she wasn't the only one pleased to see him.

"Uh, thanks," Tidus smiled a little wider.

"Hey!" Jecht's harsh voiced interjected itself on them all, nearly every pair of eyes turning to look at him as he stomped his way toward his son. "Where the hell you been boy?!" he demanded to know, concern evident despite how he charged.

"Uh, I've been… busy?" was all Tidus offered, somewhat affronted by the way his father thrust his nose into his business. "What's it to you, Old Man?"

It would appear Chere had retreated upstairs.

"What's it to me?" Jecht growled. "I'm your goddamn father, that's what! Who do you think you are, disappearing without telling anyone and then showing up here like nothin's wrong! I ought to kick your sorry ass!"

"You go ahead and try," Tidus said, his voice abruptly dark. "Let me know how that goes." The threat was hardly veiled as they stared at each other, the tension between father and son so thick that it weighed down on the whole room, lowering some of the joy at his coming.

"I'd rather not any ass kicking commence in my house," Auron interjected, finally having recovered his bearings. "Let's all try and get along for at least five minutes." He stared warningly at Jecht, who, despite how he glared at his son through a veil of hurt and worry, backed down accordingly. "Though I would like to know what you've been doing," he looked to Tidus then, his voice even, though slightly scolding, as he inquired.

"I've been busy," Tidus replied vaguely once more. "Mostly trying to figure this whole thing out." He gestured to the room, the city perhaps, as if such an explanation should mean something to any of them. "Can we quit with the interrogation for the moment? I'm here to see my friends, not be assaulted by you two." His father and Auron.

Pursing his lips, Auron agreed to be silent on the subject for the moment, though it was obvious he wasn't finished.

"Maybe you haven't changed as much as everyone seems to think," Lulu's velvety voice interjected on the conversation. "Still as hard-headed as ever, I think." She smiled some, giving allowance to be joking, and Tidus returned her show of affection.

"Thank you, Lulu," he bowed his head slightly. "It's good to know you think no more or less of me." She nodded, smiling a little wider, and held out her arms to him. Walking forward, he allowed the rare show of affection from the older woman as she embraced him lightly, looking upon him fondly despite the disruption he'd caused.

"I suppose this means I've improved my chances none then?" he asked somewhat flirtingly, Lulu cocking a single eyebrow.

"You still have a long way to go, little boy," she assured and Tidus sighed over-dramatically.

"Hey, hey!" Rikku jumped back into the conversation, no one seeming to notice that, despite the raucous going on downstairs, Chere never came back down. "How did you know we were here?"

"I, uh, I saw you," Tidus verified, reaching up to scratch the back of his head at the same time. "When you were… out by the shell a few days ago."

"And you waited a few days to come see us?!" she announced rather loudly, punching him on the arm. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I was busy!" he continued to defend, flinching away from her slightly.

"Too busy to come see us?!" She looked as though she would punch him again, but he reached up and grabbed her wrist. "We've been waiting to see you, you know." She was calmer then, lowering her act of offense. "Yunie was super disappointed when Auron said no one knew where you were."

Quite unintentionally, she'd brought Yuna into the conversation, who, until that point, had still refused to move from her seat at the window.

"Was she…" was all he said as he released Rikku's arm, his eyes slipping to Yuna again. The room fell silent, Rikku backing away upon realizing that she was far from the most important person in the room, at least as far as Tidus was concerned.

Yuna, having gathered some of her wits by that point, pursed her lips further and, realizing that she and Tidus were now the center of attention, slowly rose to her feet. Her body seemed to be moving of its own accord however. All she registered was a sort of numbness overtaking her nerves, which only seemed to encourage her body more in its actions.

Tidus, who watched her as she slowly approached him, was quite silent, his eyes searching hers, trying to read her thoughts. Unfortunately, her gaze was as completely unreadable to him as it would have been to her. Her brain was in complete shock, her whole body as unfeeling as if it'd been submerged in the snow for days.

Yet, somewhere deep inside her, something was festering. Something was screaming.

Because, had she been as numb as she felt, her hand wouldn't have reached up as it did.

There wouldn't have been the violent sound of her flesh against his as her fingers slapped harshly into his cheek, sending him stumbling back a step.

And as if the sound were the break that shattered her resolve, she felt tears well up in her eyes, his shocked expression turning back to her as he reached up to caress the reddening mark inflicted on his face. He blinked, quite astounded, but Yuna found she didn't care. Hands gripping into fists at her sides, she tried to hold back the emotions that welled up in her throat, but was to no avail.

A single tear streaked down her cheek and he had the audacity to look first worried and then… guilty.

Lips trembling, she turned and fled, headed up the stairs as fast as she could. She didn't look back as she went, intent on reaching the third floor where her shared room might offer her some kind of solace.

The bottom floor—full of gaping at what had just shattered the silence—didn't dare go after her. None of them, that was, except for Tidus. At first he'd stood motionless, trying to process as she'd vanished up the stairs. But soon his guilt at the hurt he'd seen in her eyes turned to anger at her flippant display of emotion. Eyes narrowing, he found his own emotions overflow at what she'd done, his head turning to the stairs as he pushed his feet up after her.

"Uh, Tidus…" Wakka tried to stop him, but Lulu held him back, shaking her head. This was something the two of them had to deal with and it was best if no one interfered.

"Hey." Jecht leaned in closed to Auron, murmuring quietly. "What was that all about?"

Auron sighed.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, irritation zipping through his voice as he reached the third floor. Pushing his way down the hall, he went for the only room with the door closed. Spurred by both the desire to see her and anger at how she'd acted, along with a touch of confusion, he grabbed the handle and shoved his way inside without even a moment's hesitation.

She was there, standing at the far side of the room. Upon hearing him enter, she whipped around to face him, those burning eyes, despite their tears, locking on him with a kind of hard determination that might have warned off a wiser man.

"Get out!" she shouted quite unnecessarily, Tidus pursing his lips indignantly as he took another step into the room.

"No," he replied and made a point of tossing the door closed behind him. It occurred to him, only shortly, that this was the first time he'd ever fought with Yuna. He supposed that, during the pilgrimage, they hadn't had time to fathom such luxuries. "What the hell is your problem?" His arms crossed sharply over his chest.

"You are!" she replied heatedly.

"Well I'm glad that's getting to the root of the issue," he mocked sarcastically, quite unaccustomed to this side of Yuna. He never would have fathomed she could act so uncivilly. "Please, feel free to elaborate."

"Tidus, go away," she said again. Though her tone had dropped considerably, that didn't mean the power had left her eyes. Eyes that were constantly producing tears that streaked down her face, the sight of them softening Tidus' resolve some.

"I'm not going to leave, Yuna," he said seriously.

"It was easy enough for you to do it before," she countered, the words leaving her lips tight as the verbal blow nearly caused Tidus to flinch back. Instead, however, it only stoked his anger further.

"Don't you think that's just a little bit childish?" he countered. "It's not like I could help what happened! That's just-"

"You could have told me!" she interrupted, her hands fists at her sides. "I asked you once about it, whether something was wrong, and you lied to me. You should have been honest!"

"What would have been the point?" he asked crossly. "Telling you, telling anyone, it wouldn't have changed anything. I still would ha-"

"You don't know that!" Her hands were fists still, held up by her chest. "You were the one that promised to find a way to stop me from dying, that there was always another way. We could have found another way for you!"

"It's not that easy, Yuna." He shook his head. "You were going to give up your life in order to give Spira a short period of peace. It would have been selfish of me to put my existence over being able to give Spira, and the fayth, peace from Sin forever. Besides…" he glanced down at the floor, "I promised to save  _your_  life." Not his own.

"You're a hypocrite," she hissed, Tidus' eyes snapping back up to her angrily. "You preached about being able to find another way, not giving in, but you're the one that gave up. You broke all your promises. You're selfish, a liar, and a hypocrite!"

"Maybe I am!" he countered, though his response seemed to fizzle as he considered how lowly she apparently thought of him. "I thought I was doing the right thing, keeping it to myself. Spira would be free of Sin forever so long as I didn't object. Because what was my life compared to the thousands, millions, that would be spared when Sin was gone forever?"

"Yet you objected to me attempting the same thing." Her hand was placed harshly across her chest.

"I had to learn somewhere, hadn't I?"

"I hate you."

"I don't care if you hate me," he replied, ignoring how her words stung him. "I don't regret what I did." Keeping his fate a secret. "You, everyone, you're all safe from Sin now. If I'd told the truth, would you have postponed the battle? How many more lives would have been lost?" He shook his head. "Even if I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change how I acted."

"How can you say that?!" Her eyes attempted to blink back more tears, the effort to little avail. "To me, of all people." Her breath was fast, in junction with her heart perhaps. "I was ready to die, ready to face it all, and you stole it out from under me!"

"I stole it?" he sounded skeptical, eyebrows rising. "I stole your  _death_? Yuna, that's insane!"

"You had no right to save me in exchange for yourself!" she shouted. "I didn't ask you to save me! Not at the expense of your own life!"

"Well I guess it's a good thing I didn't ask your opinion then." He raised his arms in exasperation. "I hadn't realized that keeping you from dying was such an offensive thing to consider. Remind me never to do it again!"

"You  _promised_   _me_!" her voice almost shrieked, Tidus staring at her silently behind tight lips and flared nostrils. "You said that it wasn't till the end, but always! You promised me!" More tears fell from her eyes, Tidus' attitude once again softening. The fluctuating emotions were nearly enough to give them both whiplash.

Eyes falling away from her, he ignored the ball that had risen in his throat.

"You promised…" she murmured, her whole body seeming to sag under the weight of her words.

He closed his eyes.

"I know I did," he managed to reply. "But… sometimes promises are worth breaking." Yuna didn't want to hear his words, none of them. "I never knew Wakka's brother, Chappu, but his words… they stayed with me." He glanced back up at her then, searching her hurt and betrayed gaze. "He was right. It is good… to be with your girl," he dragged his eyes away again. "But keeping Sin far away from her  _is_  better."

His eyes closed.

"You're a jerk…"

"I know…" He gulped, waiting a few seconds for his own emotions to dampen before glancing back up at her. "I'm sorry." Whatever such words were worth. He understood where she was coming from, after all. How would he have felt if, after everything they'd gone through to beat Sin, he'd never known she was to die until it was too late?

It wasn't fair to her, what he'd done, but that didn't mean it hadn't been for the best.

She didn't say anything, her eyes closing and locking him away from their beautiful depths. Still tears dragged from her eyes and, unable to take the way his chest pulled at him any longer, Tidus stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Her tears came faster in response.

"I'm so sorry, Yuna," he murmured again, burying his face in her hair. How many nights had he dreamt of her? Nearly every single one. She had been, for a long time, the only thing that had kept him sane in a world that was as filled with death as Spira had been. In all the hard and unforgiving circumstances he'd since dealt with, she'd been the one to keep him grounded.

The idea that, somewhere out there, she'd been alive. Alive and well, living life in a Calm that would last forever.

Yet now she was there.

In Zanarkand.

Part of him wished she wasn't.

But worst of all, an even bigger part was beyond thankful that she had come. It disgusted him, his selfishness, but despite how he despised the feeling, there was nothing he could do then, at that moment, about her situation.

Or so he told himself.

"I hate you," she repeated again, her words muffled against his jacket. Her fists had come up to his chest, folded tightly as they lay against him. As if she were stopping herself from returning his embrace. "I hate you, I hate you…"

"Well," he took a deep breath, inhaling that familiar smell of coconut and beach flowers, ingraining it as deeply as he could into his cranium, "that's too bad, because I love you." Despite having never said it to her, he'd whispered it over and over again to himself, when he'd had no choice but to pretend she was there in order to stay in the straight.

He couldn't count how many times he'd repeated those simple words. Words that were sometimes the only defense he had against the shadows.

Tightening his hold on her, he registered that she seemed to have sagged against him then, the tension leaving her body. Her fists unfolded, her hands flat against his chest, and for a moment he thought she'd given in to him. That he'd be able to stand there and hold her as long as he wanted, be it a few minutes or eternity.

Yet, even as he tried to claim her, the tightness returned to her muscles and with strength he hadn't anticipated from her, she shoved him back, forcing them to separate.

It was as painful as if she'd ripped his heart from his chest.

"No!" She denied him, turning away and pulling into herself.

"Yuna, please." He hadn't realized how desperate he was until that moment. How much he'd wanted to see her, be with her, touch her. Every nerve in his body was screaming for him to take her again, to keep her beside him. It was why he'd come there in the first place, wasn't it? To Auron's? To see her. Only her. "Yuna…" He reached out to her, his fingers trailing her back.

" **No**!" she shrieked again, her tone forcing him to pause despite how agony tore across his face. "What's the point?!" She stepped forward some, farther away from him, his eyes searching her retreating figure all the while. "We're from two different worlds and I… I'm  _afraid_ …"

" _When I… when I think about us never being together again at all…_

" _I'm afraid_."

It was then a mere two times he's heard her admit to fear. And both, to his despair, dealt with her fear of losing him. The first he'd heard her words whispered from her will, a sphere she'd dropped and he'd found. And then the second…

His shoulders dropped, his heart sinking.

But what had he really expected? She was right, after all. It was impossible for them to be together. He couldn't fight the dead forever, just like the rest of Zanarkand, and soon they'd all fall victim to their ravaging claws. It was either that, or they found a way to release the pressure in the Farplane so the fayth could rest. Either way, it ended in his demise and her going on without him.

There was no way they could be together.

He shouldn't have come…

He tried to find something to say to her. Anything to make their terrible situation better. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Slowly but surely, the agony crept through him, shaking his lungs as he stepped back. As he pulled his eyes away from her figure. Though his heart beat, each pump was painful, shoving through his veins the heartbreak of reality.

He gulped again, trying to hold it back.

He found the door and, quietly, he slipped out, closing it behind him.

Standing there, in the familiar hallway, he tried to think straight, to get it all under control, but it was impossible. He couldn't be with her—she didn't want him around. And if that was the truth, then what he wanted more than anything was to be as far away from her as possible.

Get out as fast as he could.

Blindly, he went to the stairs and descended, faster, perhaps, than was safe. So indulged in the rejection that he should have seen coming, he was completely unprepared for the group of people waiting on the bottom level.

Struck dumb as he caught their concerned gazes, he was forced to stop at the bottom of the stairs, his mind and tongue numb to any words. But their expressions were so expectantly tense that he knew he had to find something to say.

But the words…

He glanced to the door, wishing more than anything that he was running through it. That he was as gone as he'd been for the last year. For the first time, he welcomed the insanity.

"Tidus…?" Lulu's voice was a jarring blade through his skull, nearly causing him to jump as he flicked his gaze to her concerned wine eyes.

"I have to go." The words poured out of him suddenly, a vomiting defense against their questions. His body, too, seemed to be released then and, as directly as he could, he tried to head for the door.

"Wait!" Rikku's voice called after him, forcing him to freeze with his hand around the doorknob. He needed to get out of there, the room was suffocating him and he knew his emotions were only a single layer from being totally exposed. An unfortunate weakness he'd still failed to conquer. "I…" She might have been about to object to his leaving, but thought better of it. "Auron is taking us out to see the city tomorrow," she ventured. "Can you come too?"

And he was ready to say anything to get out of there.

"Sure, fine," was what he managed in reply before shoving the door open. Exiting quickly, he was gone as fast as he'd come.

The room behind was left in a stagnant kind of pause, everyone staring at the door where he'd been only moments before.

None were able to even consider commenting.

**oOo**

The weakening sunset streamed in through the window, casting the room in a floating orange haze. She hardly noticed it however, too wrapped up in staring at the wall, ignoring the dried salt spotting her cheeks. Her eyes were tired, heavy, but they wouldn't close. Because every time they did, all she saw was ocean blue.

"Yuna?"

She'd been wondering when she'd be interrupted.

Deciding it wasn't yet necessary to rise from her position lying on the bed, Yuna listened as Lulu, who's voice had been muffled behind the door, pushed her way inside before quietly closing the room up behind her. Still she didn't react. Not out of the want of not wanting to talk, but merely because she didn't have the energy to consider doing so. "Yuna…" Lulu said again, her whispering footsteps making their way across the room. Soon she had rounded the bed, staring down at Yuna with those concerned red eyes. And Yuna, who supposed she couldn't very well pretend her adopted sister wasn't there, forced her gaze to move that way, allowing herself the acknowledgment of only surface information.

She was reminded, as she always was, of the gorgeousness of her older counterpart. Lulu was, by Spirian standards, a rather rare beauty. With skin the color of alabaster and hair matching in tone a crow's feather, she really was quite stunning. Her long hair was tied back in a single braid now, the thick tresses cascading down over her shoulder. Still, however, her bangs hung over her left eye, covering a scar she'd acquired sometime in her youth that had robbed her of that eye. It didn't detract from her looks, only seeming to increase her sense of mystery. Add her incredible figure on top of that and she was probably nearly irresistible to the eyes of anyone, men and women alike.

She hadn't come into the room to hear praises over her physical appearance however, her eyes still trained on Yuna with furrowed brows. Reaching out, she laid her carefully manicured hand on Yuna's leg, as if to offer comfort through touch.

Yuna sighed.

"Everyone is worried about what happened," her velvety voice started after a few more seconds of silence. "Tidus looked really upset when he left…"

Yuna closed her eyes, trying to decide if she really wanted to talk about it or just brush off Lulu's words. Part of her knew, however, that she couldn't push this away. Not anymore.

Not now that  _he_  was there.

Slowly, ignoring how her body echoed with the pain inside her head, she sat up, the covers of the bed falling away.

Lulu waited with patiently pursed lips.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Yuna eventually explained, her eyes focused on the bed. She knew she was evading the subject, and so did Lulu, but how was she supposed to tackle talking about such a thing?

"I don't want you to say what you think I want you to say," she replied easily, her tone possessing that oddly comforting sternness Yuna imagined her mother might have had were she to have actually known the woman during her childhood. "But I do think you need to talk about this. With someone."

"I'd rather not," Yuna replied honestly, Lulu huffing in slight exasperation.

"You're being immature," she scolded lightly, Yuna glancing up at her in slight surprise. That hadn't been the reaction she'd expected. "Trust me, I know," she continued. "Believe it or not Yuna, I've been where you are. Well, perhaps not where you are now, but where you were before." Her red eyes fell away then, Yuna realizing, for the first time in a year, that perhaps she  _had_  been being selfish.

"I'm sorry Lulu," she murmured, the older woman smiling lightly and shaking her head.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," she assured, reaching out and taking Yuna's hand in her own. "It's terrible, losing the one you love and… and knowing they weren't being honest with you. It took me a long time to get over Chappu joining the Crusaders. For going into a battle that was… impossible to win." Or so it had seemed at the time. "I felt exactly as you did, which is why I never pressured you into moving on. It's been longer for me and still I have a hard time getting past it."

"But…" Yuna furrowed her tired eyebrows. "What about Wakka?"

"Wakka…" Lulu shook her head. "Wakka is… something different entirely. Love doesn't just jump from one person to another. I'll always love Chappu; always miss him. No one can take his place—no one should have to." She took a deep breath. "What's between Wakka and I is new and… different. Mostly because I never thought he'd be the one I'd end up with."

"He's always looked after you, I think," Yuna forced a grin. "You don't sound as though you're all that thrilled at the idea of… being with him." Because, though they spent a considerable amount of time together, Yuna couldn't say she'd noticed much of a difference between Lulu and Wakka, other than that they sat a little closer to one another sometimes.

"Wakka and I share a very… different connection than Chappu and I did," she explained quietly, rubbing Yuna's hand. Probably more for her own comfort than anything. "Everything between Chappu and I had been passion and speed. Not in the sense that we rushed into things, but it was always so… intense. Deep. Dramatic." She laughed. "We were very young."

"You and Wakka aren't like that," Yuna knew.

"No," Lulu agreed. "Wakka has always been much more patient and steady than Chappu. He waits, even if sometimes he doesn't know what he's waiting for, and he… he lacks a lot of the passion that Chappu had."

"Is that… bad?"

"No, it's just different," she continued, perhaps hoping that in divulging her own feelings, she'd be able to help Yuna. "Neither one is better than the other, really. Things with Chappu had always been exciting, but I remember always being exhausted as well. Whereas Wakka prefers to live life as it is, slowly, enjoying even when there's nothing to enjoy."

"Your mood seems to… fluctuate a lot less now," Yuna observed, ignoring how scratchy her voice was.

"Wakka is much better at keeping me in a good mood, I think," Lulu assured, their eyes meeting knowingly. "Chappu liked to get me riled up, even if when I was happy it was a bliss beyond any. Things with Wakka are easy though because, despite how he might appear," they both smiled, "he's actually very intuitive, at least about me. He may not be very worldly, but he's more sensitive than Chappu. I think."

She shook her head then. "But I didn't come in here to compare Wakka and Chappu," she affirmed, Yuna looking back down at the bed upon realizing that the conversation was coming back around to her. "I came to talk about you."

She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"What about?" Yuna asked. Lulu didn't speak however, as if she were waiting for Yuna to sort through her thoughts. To figure out the whole mess for herself. "Lulu…" she eventually started. "Did you ever forgive Chappu?" Her tone was somewhat broken, but it was hardly worth attempting to cover up.

"Forgive him?" Lulu was thoughtful. "No, I don't think I ever did. Nor do I think that I ever will." Yuna glanced quickly back up at her. "But what he did, the choices he made, I don't think he'd want me to forgive him for those. Whatever critics might say, he believed he was in the right and wouldn't seek my forgiveness. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to forgive."

Yuna pursed her lips.

"I did, however, move past it," Lulu continued. "Which is sometimes just as liberating as forgiveness."

"What am I supposed to move on to?" Yuna asked quietly.

"I think you have to… consider what happened more carefully." She sounded a little sterner then, as if preparing for a hard point. "Perhaps he was dishonest, but you know perfectly well that, given the same situation, you'd have done the same thing."

Yuna looked away.

"I know you're angry because he didn't give you the chance to try and save him, but I also know that, given the opportunity to bring that kind of peace to Spira, you'd have acted the exact same way. You attempted to and were only halted because he pointed out to us the error in our ways and beliefs.

"And don't tell me you would have been honest about the situation had it been you in his shoes. You weren't honest about Seymour because you were more concerned with trying to save us all the grief of the situation. Tidus was acting no different.

"Unfortunately, I think that may be the biggest problem the two of you have." She smiled comfortingly, their eyes meeting once again. "You're both so similar." She continued to stroke Yuna's hand. "Both of you are utterly determined to think of everyone else before yourselves. Which, for the record, is a kind of selfishness in itself."

Yuna smiled. But, though she supposed there was some humor in the thought, it quickly became bitter. As everything concerning Tidus always did.

"That's far from our biggest problem," her words were barely audible, her throat filling with the emotion she'd been suppressing throughout their entire conversation. "Even if I did move past what happened, what… what would be the point?" Closing her eyes, she tried to hold back the tears that fell, the liquid streaking slowly down her cheeks.

And Lulu, whose chest swelled with sympathy, considered her words very carefully.

"There is no point, Yuna," she offered quietly. "Humans, we… we go through life looking for purpose in all things, assuming that everything we do will lead us from one moment to the next. That everything we accomplish means something. But, really, it doesn't. Life is… a mess. Trying to find the point in what we do, it's futile.

"Fact of the matter is, if I had just one day," she held up her finger, Yuna listening despite her roiling thoughts. "One day only to spend with Chappu again. Oh Yuna, I'd take it, void of point." She smiled sadly, Yuna furrowing her brows, not entirely understanding.

"I'm not saying I'd choose him over Wakka," she shook her head. "That's not really relevant. Like I said, I'll always love Chappu, and for that reason I'd take the pain that would result from that one day. People forget that… that pain is only the result of knowing what's better. Yuna, you've spent so much of your whole life trying to save other people from their pain that you… you've failed to understand it.

"Without pain, life would be empty. Because it is in comparison to pain that we understand joy. Perhaps it is foolish that I would put myself through needless agony to feel just one day's worth of happiness, but without that agony, I'd never know that I'd been happy in the first place.

"You cannot have one without the other. By loving each other, being friends, being around one another, we're all subjecting ourselves to pain somewhere down the line. But isn't it worth it if only to taste the happiness that comes with it? I've learned, Yuna, that that is what life is really about."

"But Lulu," Yuna took a deep, shaking breath. "Tidus and I… we'll never be together…" More tears fell from her eyes. "No matter what happens, we'll…" They'll be separated.

"You're together now, Yuna," Lulu took both her hands then, squeezing them. "Maybe it's not forever, but he is here, now, and he wants to be with you." That much had been obvious when he'd left the house. "And when you're separated again, it will be… terrible, but if you don't take advantage of the day you've been given, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

It was a day that Lulu knew she'd never get.

"But I…" Yuna's words were interrupted by her tears, her whole body shaking. "I'm  _afraid_ …" She shook her head.

"Afraid of what?" Lulu asked. "Afraid of losing him, or afraid of the pain?"

"I… I…"

"You can't lose him, Yuna," Lulu murmured. "So long as you have him in your memories, he's always there. But the time you have to make those memories is short, even for those of us that get to spend our whole lives together. When you're separated, you'll still remember him. So why not remember as much of him as you can?"

"Oh Lulu…" She tried to calm her breathing, but the attempts were to little avail. "I just…" It was some moments then before she could gather herself, consider Lulu's words fully. Forcing her breathing to even out, she grabbed her emotions and throttled them, if only for the sake of being able to express herself in a way the woman with her would understand. "But I… As a summoner, I was always taught that… that being attached was…" She took a deep breath. "Auron warned me not to get attached."

"We are not enlightened enough to forgo attachment," Lulu smiled once more. "We are human and, had I been wiser a year ago, I might have encouraged you into feeling differently as well. It is our attachments to the people and places around us that define us. Even a summoner, who gives their life to save the people they love and the world they live in. To be unattached is… impossible…"

"But… my parents… Auron, he…"

"Auron likes to pretend he is wiser than he is." Her words weren't harsh, but factual. "I was never one to take sides, Yuna, you know that. I'm an observer. And it is because of this, I think, that I was able to understand these things. Auron, he… he's just as afraid as you are.

"Don't be controlled by fear, Yuna." She reached up, taking Yuna's face in her hands and delicately wiping away some of her tears with her thumbs. "You've shown courage in the face of death, in the face of Sin. Do not let this be your undoing."

Yuna's eyes fell to the sheets, the shadows in the room having slowly vanished as night pooled in through the windows. As she considered, for the first time, the fact that she really was alive. That her pain, which she had no idea what to do with, was proof enough of that.

"Don't let life pass you by."

Proof enough.


	5. Thunder and Lightning

He wasn't quite sure what he was doing.

Sitting at the picnic table in the park, surrounded by buildings and people and machina, he twiddled his thumbs and looked back and forth between his own position and the exit. He couldn't very well leave however, or so he kept telling himself. He'd already told Rikku he'd come, twice, and to abandon his word would make him more of a jerk than he already was. He had no desire to offend his friends, especially when he did, in fact, actually want to see them.

But then there was Yuna…

" _So are you going to come or not?_ " Rikku had asked, Tidus furrowing his eyebrows as he'd spoken into his home phone.

"Rikku, I can't hear you very well. There's something wrong with Auron's phone."

" _Really?_ " There'd been some shuffling, then Auron's voice saying, "You're holding it upside-down." Rikku had "Ohhhed" and soon their conversation had continued.

"I don't know, Rikku," he'd replied. "I kind of have a lot to do today…" A lie, but she didn't need to know that. His schedule these days was determined by outside conditions, and today Zanarkand looked sunny and oddly warm, though dark "clouds" (because they weren't actually real he supposed) hovered on the horizon. The forecast was predicting an out of sorts winter thunderstorm before the temperatures dropped back to below freezing.

" _You said you would!_ " she'd pleaded in that whiney way she was prone to, which generally got her what she wanted. " _C'mon, please? Everyone is going. Even Yunie is going and she said she wasn't going to at first._ "

"Uh…" Tidus had tried not to be injured at the mentioning of her name. "I think that's probably all the more reason for me not to go." Because he hadn't imagined that Yuna would want to see him. Not after their argument the day before.

" _No, no,_ " Rikku had started quickly. " _When I asked Yunie again whether she'd go, I told her you said you'd come too. At first she looked a little hesitant, but then she said she'd go after all._ "

"Really…" He hadn't bought it.

" _Yeah! C'mon Tidus, we barely got to see you…_ "

He'd sighed, part of him growing curious enough of Yuna's behavior to say yes. Pursing his lips, he'd listened as Rikku begged a bit more before finally giving in.

"Alright, alright, I can probably stop by for a little while," he'd said to Rikku's shouting excitement. From there, he'd received, via Rikku talking to Auron, the time and location of their tour, which was to begin in central Zanarkand's shopping district down on the lower level around four, after the older individuals got off work.

Which was where he was, currently, waiting.

It was some three minutes after four then, which meant they'd be pulling up to the parking lot before him soon enough. And with every second that passed, he grew more and more anxious. Part of him knew that, if Yuna was still angry with him, she'd ignore him the whole time, which was a rejection he wasn't sure he could handle. He didn't deal with rejection very well in the first place. Yet, a more hopeful part of him tried to agree with Rikku that maybe she'd decided to go because he'd be there. Though, considering what had happened between them the day before, he found that to be highly doubtful.

Maybe he should just leave the city entirely.

Eyes flicking to the side, he felt his whole body sag as Auron's familiar car pulled up to the parking lot. It was followed by his father's sports car (he could tell because the top was down), which didn't improve his mood any. Another vehicle pulled up lastly. As he watched, his friends began to file out, as well as his father, and two people he recognized as Yuna's parents. Furrowing his brows, he considered the odd phenomenon for a moment, but was able to deduce that if Auron and the Old Man had been brought back, then the same was to be said of Braska and Yuna's mother.

And even as he thought of her, he saw Yuna step out of Auron's back seat. As she had been the day before, she was clad in a simple, long white dress, probably the only clothes she had based on the fact, he realized, that it was somewhat stained with red. As if it'd been spotted with blood and washed, the marks remaining, though faded. She was glancing around curiously, examining the city, and for a moment a shock was shot through him, their words in Macalania all that time ago echoing in his head.

He found, rather abruptly, that he wanted to be the one to show her the city.  _His_  city.

The idea, though perhaps unrealistic considering their last exchange, gave him courage and, standing, he flexed the fingers of his left hand before rolling his shoulder, a new nervous habit, before taking a deep breath and slowly making his way over. Rikku was, naturally, the first to take notice of him.

"There he is!" She pointed him out for all to see, his eyes both avoiding yet centered on Yuna at the same time. She looked directly at him upon his position being revealed, but then looked away just as quickly. He could gather nothing from her blank expression. And Tidus, wanting to keep his problems to himself, forced a grin onto his face as he reached them.

"You're late." He tapped his watch teasingly, glancing pointedly at Auron. Again, he was forced to notice how young the older man looked, but was soon past it. After all, it was what the man had looked like when he'd first met him eleven years prior. Nothing new really (other than the whole 'both eyes' thing).

"Four minutes," was all Auron said, not falling victim to Tidus' immaturity.

"I don't want to hear you talking about other people being late." Jecht stomped up to the conversation. "You're the one that's been missing for a year!" His father poked him harshly in the chest, Tidus both irritated yet satisfied because he was able to look his father directly in the eyes and not up at him.

"It's been eleven years since my personal affairs were any of your business, Old Man," he countered. "That's not going to change now." And Jecht, who tried to hide how wounded he was by the words, huffed, crossed his arms, and looked away.

"Hey, hey!" Wakka came up to him then, smiling and slamming his arm around his shoulders good-naturedly. "Auron says we gonna go see a blitz game!" And despite how Tidus had grown in both height and bulk over the last year (an improvement he'd only recently discovered himself), Wakka was still far larger and jostled him easily, causing Tidus to stumble a step. "Too bad you not on the team anymore, the Abes that is."

"Is that who's playing tonight?" Tidus asked no one in particular as Wakka finally released him.

"That's what Sir Jecht said," Rikku piped in.

"Ah, well," Tidus grinned, crossing his arms over his chest, "they'd probably let me back on the team for one game, if I asked them." He clicked his tongue. "I'm just that awesome."

"Hmph, modest," Jecht grumbled.

"Yeah, I wonder who I learned that from," he rebuked sarcastically, not even bothering to glance at his father as he did.

"But before that," Rikku hopped up to him happily, "Auron says we can go shopping, which will be great because I'm tired of wearing this dress when it's so cold here all the time." Tidus supposed he could sympathize. Though his uniform hadn't been particularly insulated, because the blitz stadiums were kept under temperature control, most of his other clothes had covered considerably more. Zanarkand, during the summers, got moderately warm, but the winters, which they were in now, were always colder. Granted, they were coming up on spring, which accounted for the oddly warm weather that day, but still it'd be chilly further into the week.

Besides that, Tidus decided, Yuna's dress was stained, which was reason enough for her to get new clothes.

"Then let's go already," Auron grumbled his way into the conversation, sounding just as old as he actually was. He pulled some attention his way, Rikku bounding over and beginning to rap on him and his attitude as they slowly started their way across the street and into the beginnings of the shopping district.

Tidus' attention, however, fell immediately to Yuna. And as if their whole group were aware that it would, he was left oddly alone, the rest of them filing forward and taking Auron's cue to move. Only Lulu cast him a pointed look, one that went from him to Yuna and was gone. It gave him some courage, but not enough to be convinced or certain.

Yuna, on the other hand, was still refusing to look at him. That didn't change the fact that she hung back from the group, as if she were waiting for something. And Tidus, who was hardly able to focus on anything aside from her, found himself inexplicably drawn to her. The closer he got, the more the world around him seemed to fade. The buildings diminished, the crowd lessened, the noise was muffled. Everything slowly evaporated until all he could see was the way her hair fluttered in the breeze, how her fingers twined together in what he recognized as anxiety. The way the beach seemed to waft from her skin. He was intoxicated.

Yet, despite his stupor, he wasn't deaf to the words they'd exchanged the day before. So even as he approached her, he was careful. Wary. And it wasn't until he closed the distance between them to a mere few feet, until she slowly glanced up at him, that he felt the breath he'd been holding seep away.

Her eyes flicked back and forth, seeming to look at him and avoid him all at the same time.

There was silence.

They were alone.

Tidus gulped.

Somehow, he supposed they were expected (by each other, by outsiders) to address what had happened the day before. But Tidus, not in the essence of avoiding the subject, wanted to move past it as quickly as possible, if that even  _were_  possible. Mostly because, no matter how he thought about it, he saw no plausible way in which they could discuss it and end up on better terms with each other.

It was a thing that had happened. He knew it wasn't that simple, but he saw few alternative ways to view it. At least, no alternatives that got him what he wanted. And, well, he was a sucker for getting his way.

So was Yuna.

She glanced away from him again, her hands working more vigorously against each other as her nerves skyrocketed with his.

He coughed.

She cleared her throat.

"Hey…" he said.

"I, um…" she said.

Silence.

Tidus took a deep breath.

"So…" his voice sounded foreign, or maybe it was the distance he was keeping from her that he didn't really want to that was making it seem that way. "I, well…" Words. He needed to find some useful ones. "I… don't know what to say right now."

Honesty was the best policy after all.

"I don't… either…" she admitted quietly, slowly allowing her eyes to flick back up to his. For a moment, they just stood there, lost, perhaps, in the searching looks they casted at each other. However, the weight of the silence between them got heavier and heavier by the moment. If they didn't do something about it soon, they'd have no choice but to pull back again. They could only stand by awkwardly for so long, as it were.

Such thinking didn't bode well with Tidus and, desperate, he tried to find another way to get to her. Words weren't working, so, quite unconsciously, he found his gloved hand reaching out to her. Though he couldn't feel her skin against his own—the barrier between them was still intact—he could sense the smoothness as he allowed the backs of his fingers to trail her bare upper arm.

Maybe it was an apology; maybe it was just his way of expressing how much he missed her. Or perhaps it was simply a physical act of articulating things he wasn't sure she wanted to hear. Testing the waters.

She watched him, her eyes on his hand as it traced across her skin. And when it fell away, slowly retreating back to his side, she found her breath shaking ever so slightly inside her chest.

"Yuna…" Her name came whispering from his lips and, wanting to be brave, she slowly turned to face him, her chin falling back up until they were looking at each other once again. Reaching out herself, her fingertips delicately found the base of the V in his jacket, where his chest was revealed. And as the warmth from his skin caressed her touch, she was abruptly aware of the fact that he was actually there, with her, and that she'd pushed him away the day before.

It all welled up in her throat once again, only this time the anger was gone. In its place was desolate desperation.

"Yuna," he said her name again, this time with a bit more certainty. Reaching out once again, he gently allowed his hands to find her face, to frame those eyes, those  _eyes_ , and those trembling lips. He took a step closer to her.

Leaning his forehead against her own, he closed his eyes, taking in the essence of her. The feeling of her hands as they both lay flat, almost gripping, at his chest. As she breathed warm, unsteady ghosts across his lips, the sound of her inhaling and exhaling music to his ears. He wanted to smile and cry all at the same time, but was stuck with a suffocating weight in his throat and the back of his head instead.

And then her lips were on his, her whole body moving lightly against his own as she stretched up to meet him. The air between them was gone, the point of their focus entirely on each other as he pressed back down into her. A feeling he'd envisioned for so many days and nights run together, but always just a memory. She was there, with him, at that moment-

They were together.

"You shouldn't spy," Auron whispered in her ear, Rikku whipping around to look at him from her position leaning against the back of a bench. Some ways off, she'd been watching Yuna and Tidus, totally engrossed in the timid way they'd approached each other, as if the very world between them were made of glass. It made her sigh, but it also made her envious.

"But look at them." She'd flicked her attention back to the couple. "They're so…" She couldn't even find a word to describe it.

"Yes, they certainly are," Braska interjected, both Auron and Rikku turning to look at him. He stood beside Jecht, the two of them watching the couple with heightened intent, Nhefrin a few blocks off showing Lulu and Wakka around one of her favorite shops. "You never mentioned this when you talked about my daughter's pilgrimage." He looked pointedly at Auron.

"Yeah," Jecht agreed childishly.

"It wasn't really any of my business to say anything on the matter," was all he offered with a shrug.

"I woulda liked to know," Jecht gestured to the couple still quite indulged in one another, though they were talking now. "Kid doesn't deserve a girl like that…" Braska only half nodded before seeming to think a little harder on the idea.

"What-do-ya-mean?" Rikku asked accusingly, jumping forward from her position propped up on the bench. "They're totally in love with each other! And Tidus makes Yunie happier than I've ever seen her…" She pouted.

"Love?" Braska cocked a skeptical brow, though the concern on his face was evident. He glanced to Auron for verification.

"It is, unfortunately, true," he verified rather darkly. And Rikku, who was about to object to his terminology, was silenced when he cast her a warning glance. She kept her mouth closed, at least for the moment, and turned back to Jecht and Braska.

"They're just kids," Jecht eventually decided, him and Braska sharing a similar look. "There are plenty of guys in Spira more worth your daughter's time than my son." Rikku wanted to object again, but Auron was still giving her that look. "She'll forget about him, trust me." Patting Braska on the shoulder, he then turned the other man away, the two glancing only quickly at Yuna and Tidus before heading down the street toward the shop where the others were.

Rikku released a huffy breath, her gaze zipping to Auron.

"What's his deal?!" she asked angrily. "Tidus is good enough for Yunie! Why do they have to act like it's such a bad thing?" She flopped down onto the bench, glaring up at Auron because he'd been just as negative.

"It is a bad thing, Rikku," he replied coldly. "Jecht wasn't insulting Tidus the way you might think he was." He glanced to where Tidus and Yuna were still standing, talking to one another, and sighed.

"Sure sounded like it…"

"Don't you understand?" he asked sharply, Rikku surprised at the haste of his reply. "They're from two different worlds. Braska and Jecht weren't worried because they think Tidus isn't good enough. It's because he, like the rest of us here in Zanarkand, are fated to fade away."

"I know that," Rikku muttered in reply, digging at the ground with her toe. "I'm not stupid you know…" Auron pursed his lips. "But… Yunie's just been so depressed…"

"And she'll be more so if they keep up as they are," he scolded. "They should know better."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "You're so mean."

"I'm being realistic."

"Haven't you ever been in  _love,_  Auron?"

"What?" His scratchy voice was once again dismayed at her. He took a moment to gather himself. "That's really none of your concern."

"Maybe it's not, but I already know that the answer is 'no.'" She was completely certain, Auron staring down at her disapprovingly. "Otherwise you'd understand. Maybe they are… doomed, but that's all the more reason to spend as much time together as they can, you know?"

"Because you're an expert?" He cocked a single brow. "And tell me Rikku, have  _you_  ever been in love?"

"Well, I…" she cast him that accusing look once again before twitching away. "No, but-"

"Then I don't see why I should consider your opinion as legitimate."

"But I want to be!" she defended, standing abruptly and glaring at him. "You just don't get it because you're determined to hate everybody!"

"I don't hate everybody."

"Couldn't have convinced me." She slammed her fists to her hips haughtily. "I don't care if it ends in pain," she continued, her countenance softening once more as her eyes fell to the ground. "I want to feel the way Yunie and Tidus feel about each other. Because something like that has to be… has to be worth the pain."

"That's an unwise point of view," he determined, flaring her temper back up once again.

"Why?" she asked. "Because I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all? Like you?" His stare darkened. "Though I guess I can't expect anything more from a man that's been dead the last eleven years." And if she'd been looking to hit below the belt, she'd succeeded, because, for the first time since she'd met him, Auron actually flinched away from her words. Not in the sense of actually, physically, doing so, but in the way his eyes blinked and his mouth frowned, she could see it.

And as she considered the presumptions of her words, she realized just how unfounded they were. Auron had died  _because_  he'd been too emotionally invested. She'd seen it with her own eyes in the memories imprisoned in the Zanarkand Ruins. Saying as much as she had had been an immature attempt to lash out at him, and made her feel even more childish than she'd acted.

"… I'm sorry…" she eventually muttered out. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't have," he replied, his tone chilly even by his standards.

Once again resorting to pouting, Rikku stared up at him, her expression slowly turning to one of contemplation. Auron had gone back to avenge his friends, had died doing so. Yet still he'd remained on Spira, gone on to fulfill the promises he'd made to his friends. He'd been worried about Tidus when he'd disappeared, and even then he worried over Yuna. And wasn't it strong emotions that kept the dead from passing on?

Abruptly, she realized that Auron felt a lot more than he let on. More deeply, perhaps, than a lot of people. It wasn't that he objected to emotions, but that his were simply more controlled. And when he did feel for another, it was rare and more deeply rooted than most.

Rikku suddenly felt as though her own emotions and desires were fickle by comparison.

"C'mon!" She jumped up and, despite his surprise, linked arms with him and started to drag him off down the street. "We should get going. You have things to buy me, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he drawled, not really putting up much of a fight against her strength as she bustled them into the store where the others had gone.

Soon enough, the entire group had come together, Yuna and Tidus eventually catching up as well. Nothing was said on their exchange, everyone, even the fathers, understanding that it really wasn't any of their business. It was apparent, however, that the couple was in much better sorts than they had been previously, or even in a long time, at least in Yuna's case. She was smiling, and it wasn't the fake expression she'd sported during the months past.

As they'd set out to do, the newcomers were soon set up with a more appropriate wardrobe, one in the style of the natives and that was more suitable for battle, what with Zanarkand at war and the fact that they were there, in the first place, to do something about it. Dinner was addressed afterward, Jecht directing them to one of his favorite places just outside one of the blitzball stadiums (the one they were to attend). Thus, with most in high spirits, they made way for their meal, having to push two tables together to satisfy the group.

Handing out their menus with a smile, their waitress exchanged a few words with Jecht before, looking rather flushed, walking away. And Jecht, with a satisfied smile on his face, settled into his chair far too comfortably.

"Drinks are on the house," he announced, wiggling his eyebrows slyly. "The Great Jecht and his friends get all kinds of extras."

Tidus rolled his eyes, quite obviously, and caused his father's mood to drop dramatically, the older man growling as he narrowed his red eyes at his son. Tidus didn't seem the least bit affected by it, instead going on to look over the menu and explain to Yuna, who was sitting beside him, the intricacies of each option (since most of it was foreign to the newcomers).

Jecht slammed his fist down on the table, "Hey!" Everyone snapped their eyes to him in alarm. "You got something to say to me, boy?"

Tidus cocked a skeptical brow and replied with a simple, "No." He then tried to go back to more civilized pursuits, but his father was, apparently, intent on making a scene.

"If you got something to say, then say it," he persisted, the rest of the group silenced as Tidus flicked his gaze back up to his father, the air between them sizzling quite suddenly. "Quit poutin' and say it already!"

"If I had something to say to you, I'd have said it," Tidus assured rather shortly. "I'm not pouting, Old Man, I just have no interest in speaking to you." He, again, tried to return to the menu, but Jecht wasn't going to have any of it. He and Tidus had always had communication issues, even when his son had been a kid, and it was quickly becoming apparent that not much had changed.

"And why not?"

Tidus' patience snapped. "Because I find you infuriating," he established. "Now can we please drop the subject?" He was trying to be the bigger person, which was difficult when considering how much he wanted to punch his father right in the face, but he liked to think he'd matured some, and come to understand his father a little better as well. That didn't mean he had to like the man, however.

"No," Jecht decided and Tidus sighed. They were starting to draw in the stares of other customers. "You think you can just disappear for a year, not tell anyone where you been, and then come back like nothin's wrong?" That wasn't quite the same subject, but, really, Tidus had no choice but to roll with it. "You been busy, my ass."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Dad," Tidus shrugged. "Just like the rest of you, I've been investigating what's happened to the city. So yes, it's kept me busy."

"That's bullshit." Jecht crossed his arms harshly over his chest. "The fayth have us posted up defendin' the city, but what do they have you doin'? And don't think I won't know if you're lying." He squinted his eyes, surveying Tidus with the least amount of trust he could muster.

The rest of the group looked between them uncomfortably, Tidus catching their gazes and only growing more irritated as a result.

"Okay, again," he wanted to try and put an end to this, "it's already been well established that what happens in my life is no concern of yours." Jecht's expression darkened, but Tidus continued. "I'm not going to argue with you about it in public, so do us both a favor and shut up about it." He hissed the last, not wanting any of the Zanarkand citizens to overhear such a conversation. Plus, there was also the fact that he was a celebrity to consider, one that had been missing for almost two years. Unlike his father, he hadn't made his presence known to the city.

"You need to lose the attitude, boy." Jecht pointed at him directly.

Tidus rubbed his temples in frustration. "Nothing ever gets through, I swear," he muttered, Yuna frowning over at him, but remaining silent on the subject.

"It would be nice, Tidus, if you could tell us what you've been doing," Auron interjected, perhaps attempting to calm the discussion while still getting Jecht's main point across. Or at least the point the rest of them cared about.

It was the wrong thing to say however, because Tidus was at the end of his rope with their nosiness.

"Why do you all need to know what I've been doing?" he asked rather loudly, taking them all aback. Mostly because no one quite understood why he kept avoiding the subject. "Does no one understand the concept of privacy?"

"You've been missing a  _year_!" Jecht reiterated. "I think that accounts for a little more than privacy!"

"I'm not having this discussion," Tidus stated firmly as he stood, surprising everyone further. Mostly because the question being asked of him, when considering the circumstances, wasn't that intrusive or offensive. Yet he was taking it quite personally. "Just stop. For once in your life," he was looking directly at his father, "just  _stop_."

And as if that should be the logical end to the conversation, he turned and started to walk away, leaving his friends behind with gaping mouths and confused brows. Even Yuna was left in a state of bafflement as he left the restaurant, her stare following him the whole way. A few seconds passed after he vacated the building, everyone silent, and it wasn't until Yuna realized that something was wrong that she slipped from her own seat. Trailing him out of the restaurant, she walked out into the Zanarkand street and glanced around quickly in search of him.

It didn't take her long to find him.

"Tidus." She said his name in alarm, her eyes widening as she made her way over to him. He was sitting down on a bench a little ways from the restaurant, his whole body crumpled over and his eyes squeezed tight. As if he were in… pain. "Are… are you alright?" she asked as she approached him, her anxiety worsening when he didn't answer.

"Tidus," she repeated his name as she crouched down next to him. It became blatantly obvious then that there was something really wrong with him. He'd gone pale and sweat had accumulated all across his skin. His breathing had become shallow, his fists were pulled tight. Even his back trembled slightly.

"I'm going to go get the others," was the first thing that came to her mouth. Because, certainly, that was the proper, logical thing to do.

"No!" he objected immediately, desperately, proving that he could, in fact, make out what she was saying. "I'll be fine, I just…" He couldn't finish his explanation, his breathing becoming even more labored as he reached up with his right arm and grabbed at his left. And Yuna, who didn't know what else to do, stayed at his side and waited through the long seconds for him to say something, ask for help, anything.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on his knee, which seemed to bring him back to her.

"It's just that…" he breathed choppily, "… the pain medication is… wearing off. I've been… ignoring it, but I…" He pulled his eyes tighter as if to ward off the agony. "I thought it'd last longer than this."

Ignoring it? And she hadn't even noticed?

"Tidus, if you're hurt, let me help you," she replied, her hand tightening on his knee. He shook his head however, quite vigilantly, which left her feeling even more helpless and frantic.

"I just… need to go home…" he determined. Yuna, however, had no idea how to go about getting him there. Not that she needed to consider the idea for very long. Soon, despite how he was apparently crippled, Tidus shoved himself unsteadily to his feet and stumbled his way toward the street where cars zipped by above their heads. And Yuna, who was afraid he'd fall at any moment, did her best to help support him, grabbing him around the middle in the hopes of steadying him.

"Raise your hand," he told her after trying to do so himself and failing, unable to take his hand from his left shoulder without instant amounts of grief. Immediately putting one of her hands above her head, she waited for what she knew not, but refrained from feeling surprised when one of the cars dropped out of the sky beside them.

Tidus stumbled forward once more, Yuna deducing that they were supposed to get into this strange car and, pulling the door open, did her best to help him into the back seat before following him in herself. The driver, who glanced back at them curiously, looked about to ask, but then decided against it, which gave Tidus an opening. Rambling off a strange set of numbers and words that Yuna supposed were an address, he sat back in the seat and the driver nodded before shoving the car back into the air.

Yuna returned her entire focus to Tidus.

"Please tell me what's wrong," she insisted, her voice low in an effort to keep the driver out of his business.

"I just need to get home," he said again. "If I can get the… pain medication, I'll be… fine."

"If you're in pain, tell me and I'll heal you," she replied a little sharply.

Again, he shook his head.

And Yuna, beginning to panic, had half a mind to heal him anyway, in any place she could, but feared that such actions might alarm their driver. Instead, she was stuck waiting as Tidus, eyes closed again, tried to control his breathing and whatever agony he was apparently going through. Thankfully, wherever they were headed wasn't that far. Soon enough, the car had pulled off to the side, out of main traffic, and down a long stretch of the highway that circled the outer rims of the city. Continuing on for a few minutes, the vehicle only came to a stop once they reached what looked like a good sized boat sitting on the edge of the ocean that ended, oddly enough, just outside the shell.

Tidus' boathouse.

The driver asked them if they needed help, but Tidus stubbornly refused and instead stumbled on out of the car toward the house after pulling a good amount of gil from his pocket and handing it to the driver. Yuna helped him as best she could, but soon enough he was walking without assistance, as if the attack that had so suddenly overtaken him was wearing away. Though he was still pale and sweating, and holding his left shoulder, he was able to make the long walk down the path that led up to the front of the boathouse. Reaching the door, he practically fell inside, Yuna following behind in a wide-eyed sort of confusion.

The house wasn't very big. Shaped like a circle, it was dusty and neglected, as if it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. But Tidus, not at all deterred, stumbled his way across the room to the kitchen. Once there, he set his focus on the counter where, much to Yuna's furthering concern, were half a dozen or more pill bottles.

Picking one up, Tidus tried to open it, but for some reason was only able to use his right hand, which wasn't enough. And Yuna, coming up next to him, took note that the entirety of his left arm was completely lax, unmoving, and useless. It appeared to be simply dangling from his shoulder.

"Open this," he demanded as he shoved one of the larger bottles her way. Ignoring his odd attitude and supposing his rudeness could be forgiven, she went about trying to open the bottle, but was completely cofounded when, in her rushed, frantic panic, it wouldn't open.

"Push down on the top," he explained breathily, "then turn it to… open it." Trying to do as he said, she took a few attempts and was surprised when the cap popped lose. Ignoring how her hands shook in her haste, she allowed a few of the large pills in the bottle to be shaken out onto her palm before offering them to him. He took them without qualm, clapping them between his lips and swallowing without even the want of water.

He sagged then, in no way rid of his pain, and closed his eyes.

"You need to sit down," Yuna decided despite her lack of knowledge of his condition. He didn't object and, allowing himself to be escorted from the kitchen and into the main room, he soon dropped himself down on his couch, Yuna placing herself right beside him.

He tried to ignore the throbbing agony thrumming through his whole body.

Yuna, however, found the situation harder and harder to pass over. Obviously, he was hiding what was wrong with him from her, despite how apparent it was that he was in terrible pain. And were she in less of a frantic state, she might have stripped him down herself until she found the issue. As it were, she could only locate the same words she'd had earlier.

"Tidus, what's wrong with you?" It came out as a plead, her own fears over his condition becoming evident to both him and herself. Despite this, despite how she practically begged him, he still shook his head. As if he were actually going to try and get away with not explaining himself.

"Tidus!" Her voice came out as a demanding kind of shout. "You tell me what's wrong with you right now so I can heal you!"

Taken aback, his eyes popped back open and he flicked his blue gaze her way. Expression stern, she stared back with that simple determination he knew there was no point fighting. She'd seen too much as it was anyway, he supposed. He would have had to tell her one way or another. Eventually.

"Help me get this jacket off," he finally breathed and, thankful to be useful, Yuna went about unbuckling it from his chest. Without him having to lift his arms, it fell away upon being completely detached, leaving only his V-neck sweater. "I can't lift my arms," he continued. "So just… rip it." He was talking about the sweater and Yuna, hasty to do as instructed, grabbed the garment at the collar and pulled. At first she thought maybe it wasn't going to tear, but she put all her strength into yanking it apart and was soon rewarded with the shredding sound of fabric.

She didn't stop until it was totally open, yet even as she did come to a halt, she found the path leading to whatever issue Tidus was having. Beginning to pull up on the left side of the sweater, she saw that there was a recent, deep, festering gash drawing up from his abdomen around his chest. As if something had clawed up across his skin. The wound itself looked as though it had been moderately treated, but only to the point of sealing it. Infection made it red and enflamed, elevated and oozing with pus in some areas.

By all rights, such an injury could kill someone. Obviously, it'd been treated somewhat, but still such an infection could be toxic.

Gulping, she continued to pull away at the left side of the sweater, careful now not to touch the wound. But as she continued to slowly lift it from the injury, she was not rewarded with any better results. The higher she got, the worse it became. Upon reaching his shoulder, the whole thing was a scarred, red, openly raw mess. It was a wonder he'd been able to move his arm at all. Some of the gashes were so deep that nerves would have been destroyed, motor functions gone. And as she rolled the sweater away from his shoulder, she found herself wondering how he'd managed to hide something so horrific in the first place. It should have, by all rights, made it impossible for him to use his left arm.

Yet as the fabric fell away, the answer was abruptly clear to her.

He'd been able to use his arm not because it was capable, but because it was gone. Attached to his shoulder was kind of machina arm, sealed against the festering wound and making up for the fact that his limb had been completely ripped away.

She gaped, trying to comprehend the severity, and pushed herself to continue pulling the sweater down his arm. Yes, this was Tidus, who she'd never wanted to see this way, but there wasn't time to consider that now. She had to get rid of the infection and calm the swelling—that was priority number one. As had been the case with so many of her other patients, she could heal the surface, but she couldn't replace what was gone. She'd have to do what she could.

Tugging the sweater off entirely once it'd been cleared of his left, Tidus shoved it out of the way and glance down at Yuna. She was serious but pale as she surveyed the damage, which, oddly enough, made him feel guilty. He hadn't wanted her to see him this way, no matter how inevitable such a thing might have been upon her arriving in the city.

"Um…" She had her hands up, as it contemplating healing him. "Can this… arm be removed?" The machina arm he'd bought off the underbelly of Zanarkand's trade. It was top quality, but illegal without a doctor's notice. Yet he hadn't wanted to go into the hospital. Someone would have recognized him, the media would have known, and eventually his secret would have been blown. Which was why he'd bought the medications for pain and infection at the same time.

"Yeah," he nodded and, reaching over with his good hand, he clasped the machina piece around the shoulder and squeezed. Yuna saw that he seemed to have found some kind of button panel on the back side and was inputting a code. As if replacing limbs should really be that easy. Yet she had to admit, despite it's biotic appearance, the arm was convincing. It'd moved just like a real arm, was a size to match the one he still had. It was graceful in its execution. White in color, it was layered both equally in metal pieces as softer pieces, as if to pretend at muscle tissue. But still, it was fake, and would no doubt fall short of the real thing.

Succeeding in removing it somehow, Yuna watched as the thing clicked and, Tidus flinching, retracted whatever it was that held it in place. The sound of tearing flesh was apparent, as if the machina were ripping through him, and Yuna became immediately aware of how much pain taking it away was causing because, even as she watched, a single tear left his eye and streaked down his cheek.

Finally however, it was off and, as if she were watching some kind of disturbing, surreal scene, he pulled the arm to his right and placed it on the couch beside him. So now, nothing left covered, the wound was left completely open to the world, Yuna drawing her eyes toward it with tight-lipped severity.

It was so strange, seeing him so completely broken. The wound where the arm had been bled now, a result of removing the machina, and only seemed to make the whole look of it worse, if at all possible. Gulping and shaking her head of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she raised her hands and, taking a deep breath to find her concentration, dug deep into herself for the right kind of magic to result in the best kind of aid.

Carefully, she began to separate the infection from the flesh that was still good, started to seal the gashes that, though weren't bleeding, were still open to the harshness of the air. As she had so many, many times before, she healed the injury, taking just as little pleasure in it as she always had.

It was a delicate process, as wounds that were older than just new were always harder to heal. Scar tissue and poorly woven skin always made it more difficult than a fresh wound, which was as easy as tying the flesh back together. Generally, because the pain was still there, she tried to talk these patients through the process, distract them, but the only thing that kept popping into her head at that moment was asking how this had happened.

And, because deep down she knew how this had happened, she was hesitant to pursue the subject.

So through silence, the wound was patched up. He'd never have his arm again—not even the most experienced white mage could replace what wasn't there—but soon the skin was only lightly scarred and the redness gone. It appeared like a wound that had been acquired years before, though the flesh around it was soft and almost new. And Tidus, who'd been living with the pain of it for days, breathed a sigh of relief he'd been holding back since he'd received the ailment.

"You're so amazing," was all he managed to say.

"You should have had this taken care of as soon as… as you could." She almost said as soon as it'd happened, but she was realistic enough to know that was impossible. Or, perhaps, he should have let her heal him when she'd originally gone out of her way to do so. "This infection could have killed you."

"Zanarkand doesn't have white mages," he replied, his breath still recovering. "At least, not ones that are powerful enough for this. That's why I have all those medications over there. For fighting pain and infection." Because even the potions and remedies in Spira were influenced by magic, which was simply a medium Zanarkand hadn't explored.

Yuna shook her head, as if that wouldn't have been enough, and Tidus cracked a sardonic smile.

"Zanarkand isn't considered advanced for no reason, Yuna," he explained simply, no sound of criticism in his voice. "We may not have magic, but we know how to take care of our people. The medications would have worked, eventually." Sitting back in the couch, he closed his eyes and relished in only having the echo of pain ricocheting through his body.

And Yuna, lips pursed, found her eyes drawn to the lack of symmetry now accosting him. She'd never imagined she'd see him so gravely injured and without plausible recovery. He'd always be like this now, which only made her angrier. At him. Because he'd thrown himself into a position where such injuries were possible without any help or backup. It was careless, and selfish, and she had half a mind to give him a piece of her thoughts on the subject.

Yet still she found herself hesitant to bring up the notion directly. Instead, as if trying to walk herself around to it, she tried to find something relatable.

"I don't understand how you got here," she eventually started, leaving the idea open-ended for him to interpret.

"I don't really either," he admitted, his voice recovering and almost sounding normal. Blinking, he stared up at the ceiling. "I hadn't even realized it was possible to… turn back into a human." His gaze flicked to hers then, their eyes meeting. "I think it had something to do with seeing you."

She smiled shortly, trying to take the discussion in a lighter tone. "You certainly didn't seem happy to see me at the time."

He grinned fully then. "Yeah, sorry about that." His only hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Being like that makes a person crazy after a while." He tried to address the topic as shallowly as possible, but Yuna knew he was underplaying what had happened.

"I've heard that… being that way… makes a person insane…" The gravity of her tone wasn't missed on him.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's one way to look at it." He paused. "I think that… that until I saw you there, I had forgotten I was even human." A thought he found very difficult to digest even then. "Thinking of you," his tone got quieter, "was the only thing that kept me grounded for… a long time. But eventually it was like… like the idea of protecting Zanarkand was the only thing I could think of." Leaning forward, he was thoughtful. "No, it wasn't even thinking. I lost the ability to think. It was like… instinct."

"Like Sin," Yuna murmured, Tidus glancing back at her again. "How it only knew how to defend Zanarkand and didn't consider what it was doing in order to accomplish that."

Tidus was loath to admit it, but supposed the truth couldn't be bypassed. "Something like that…" he admitted quietly.

"But when you saw me, that… changed?" she questioned, her head cocking to the side curiously.

"I… I think so," he determined. "It was like seeing you there, staring at me… Like I found my humanity again." He couldn't describe it, the way he'd fought inside himself upon seeing her. And somehow, it'd resulted in him returning to his original form. Something the fayth had said would likely be impossible.

"You shouldn't change back." Yuna shook her head, Tidus watching her. "You'll get lost again…"

He smiled shortly. "I'm a fayth now, Yuna." His words were whispered. "It's my responsibility to do what I can." Which she knew he'd been going to say. Because, as Lulu had said, they were so much alike. If she had the ability he did, she'd take advantage of it too, even if it meant the destruction of herself.

Looking away, she took a shaking breath and stared down at the carpet.

"Zanarkand can't just be left to the fiends and the dead," he continued, as if he felt the need to defend his point. "Maybe it is just a dream, but the people here, they feel and see and understand just like anyone on Spira. If how a person dies, or how they're made, determines what they're worth, then I… I guess I disagree? Because maybe the people in this city are just memories, but they still have a sense of their own existence, which is really no different than a human." Yuna didn't need him to defend his view, she agreed with him, but the fact that he was doing so cast his feelings in a different light. Suddenly, she realized that he didn't agree with what the fayth were doing. Ending the dream as if it'd never been. Perhaps, because he knew the truth, that was why he took issue with it. He too was a dream, but was expected to fade as if he didn't even matter? Or exist?

It wasn't fair.

But what choice did he have? The fayth were in charge, and they were tired. Rightfully so.

Dragged along by the tide with no option but to drown.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" he asked, having made the assumption previously. "To help find a way to… end this?"

Yuna shrugged. "I don't really know." She shook he head. "The fayth had been calling to me, I guess, but I can't hear them anymore." Not unless she went looking for them. "We ended up here by accident because the Farplane was growing out of control."

"Because we're here," Tidus verified and Yuna nodded.

"I don't quite know what the fayth expect from me."

"They want a way to end the dream," he stated the obvious. "But it's become impossible. When they dreamed, they summoned something too… big to be separated, at least in the condition of the Farplane as it is. The city isn't whole because they dream it to be, but because the concentration of pyreflies is so dense that things are able to take form without someone beckoning them to do so. It's why fiends are now able to come together in a place where it'd previously been impossible. There's just… too much…"

"How are we supposed to lessen the number of pyreflies?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, half smiling over at her. "That, honestly, hasn't been my main objective." She waited patiently for him to continue. "I don't disagree with the fayth that… that maybe the dream needs to fade," despite how he wanted to object, "but right now the main threat is the fiends. If something isn't done about them, they'll eventually overrun the city. And I know that everyone in Zanarkand has to fade away eventually, but that… that doesn't mean the city should be ravaged. The people here can still feel fear, and pain. Maybe it's a pointless fight, a temporary one," he smiled fully at her then at his reference, "but if the people here can live their lives as obliviously as possible, at least until then end, then they should be able to do so."

"But if the fiends are a result of the dream, then so long as Zanarkand is here, so too will they be," Yuna replied. "You can't… fight them off alone. Eventually they'll… they'll get you." He'd almost lost the last time.

"I know." He nodded. "But there's something wrong with the fiends here. They… they regroup and attack together, like they… like they can think." He furrowed his eyebrows. "They shouldn't be this organized, you know?" An observation, Yuna remembered, they'd all made upon watching them attack the shell. "Or like when they… when they ambushed me." He shook his head. "Something, or someone, is giving them orders or… controlling them."

"Is that possible?" Yuna asked breathily.

"It's the only thing I can figure. And we've seen it happen before. The Guado knew how to control fiends. What I don't understand, though, is why this… thing is waging war on Zanarkand. How could that possibly serve them?"

"So you've been trying to find this thing? That's what you've been doing?"

"As well as I can. But I… I don't dare go too far from Zanarkand, not with the attacks." He shook his head. "Or, at least, that was my original plan." To search. "But as the months went on, I think I lost track of what I was really trying to do." Become victim to the insanity.

"Whatever it is that's out there, then, is trying to kill you," Yuna observed brokenly.

"I'm in their way," he agreed with a simple shrug.

"Well… did you find anything?"

"Not particularly," he sat back against the couch again. "I never reached the edges of the Farplane." Because there had to be limits if the pyrefly density was affecting it. "I can never get too far before I get paranoid and have to come back and check on the city." Which he, more often than not, found in a state of attack. As if the fiends waited for him to leave. Which, he supposed, was plausible.

And Yuna, who felt just as helpless to do anything as she had before the conversation, perhaps more so, pursed her lips and hugged her arms around her. No matter how she looked at the situation, it seemed a hopeless endeavor. One that always ended with Tidus' destruction. It was, at that point, just a matter of how it happened.

"Yuna…" Tidus watched her—watched as her expression went from hopelessness to grief and back again more times than he could count.

"Why is it that the only time we're together, the world seems to be in peril?" And one of them was sentenced to death in one way or another. "It's not fair…" She knew she sounded immature, but she saw few other ways to look at it. Tidus had been dropped into Spira to influence she and her friends, to grow close to them so that when the time came, they'd listen to him. And now here she was again, asked to help with a cause that couldn't end well no matter the outcome, tied to him once more. As if the only times they were allowed to be together was when they were able to be useful while working in tandem.

Maybe that was the whole point…

"Sometimes I wonder," she started quietly, "if they didn't dream you up to be the perfect person for me on purpose." Because it sometimes seemed impossible that she could find someone else capable of taking his place. Or perhaps that was simply the heartbreak talking. She couldn't be sure.

"I've wondered that too," he verified, his own existence seeming so much more superficial when he considered that perhaps the only reason he was there at all was because the fayth had hatched a carefully laid plan that would result in him becoming so attached to Yuna that he'd do just about anything to keep her safe. It seemed plausible when he looked back at the pilgrimage and the desperation he'd felt in keeping her from the Final Summoning. As if he'd acted out a play they'd written the script for.

Or maybe, of all the dreams in Zanarkand, he'd simply fit the bill the closest. In either case, he'd still been manipulated. Whether that was good or bad he had yet to determine.

Abruptly, the back of Yuna's hand was at her lips, her whole body shaking as she took a deep breath. And Tidus, who leaned closer to her in concern, found himself just as empty as she was.

"This is all so hopeless…"

"I know…"

Because they both knew the value of hope and the sorrow that resulted from not having it. A lesson they'd learned from Yunalesca, oddly enough. Upon thinking about her however, Tidus found a small flame of the persistence he'd once felt while on the pilgrimage. Scooting closer to Yuna, he allowed his hand to reach over and rest on her leg, drawing her eyes his way.

"We just… have to find new hope, right?" he determined and asked all at the same time. Searching her gaze, he tried to find some kind of verification that he was right, that she could see the same thing. And despite the despair inherent in her gaze, he could see the same small, insignificant flare in her gaze as well. As if, perhaps, fed by each other, they might be able to find some kind of solution.

Reaching up, Yuna allowed her hands to rest on his bare chest, her head falling forward until it rested lightly against his collarbone. Listening, she measured the way he breathed, how his chest moved steadily up and down. Partly for her own comfort and partly to monitor his health. And as his one arm reached up around her, she felt once again the gravity and danger he was in. How easily his life could be snuffed out.

Would the fayth bring him back again? As they had the others? She wasn't sure how that worked…

She could feel his lips in her hair, the way he kissed the top of her head and allowed his body to rest just as equally against her as she was him. Breathing deeply, she took in the smell of sweat and sharpness that always seemed to envelop him. Though now it was somewhat dampened by the previous stench of blood and infection.

She blinked her eyes open, staring at the tanned skin before her.

"You should get some rest," she eventually determined. "White magic performs better if you sleep." Because, though she had healed him as best she could, what remained of the magic still lingered in his skin. If he rested, then it would do better in spreading and advancing what healing there might still be left to do.

Besides, she knew he must be exhausted.

"You need to get back to Auron's," he half-objected, almost as though he were stating a fact rather than encouraging her to go.

"They know I'm with you," she replied quietly, as if that should settle the matter. "Besides, I don't trust you to rest as you should." And though she couldn't see it, he smiled into her hair, thankful she was apparently set on not going. "Now c'mon," she pulled back from him then, "I'm serious when I say you need to get some sleep."

"Yes ma'am," he replied teasingly and she cast him an unimpressed brow. Standing before him, she almost held out both her hands to help him up, but quickly caught herself. Holding out just one instead, she was satisfied when he didn't ignore the gesture. Taking her assistance gladly, she half pulled him up while he pushed himself. "Where are we going?" he asked rather jokingly.

"I assume you have a bedroom," she replied easily.

"Oh I see where this is going," he stated and, much to Yuna's befuddlement, he winked at her before walking across the room. Watching him as he pushed his way in through the door there, she reached up and placed her finger against her lips. It was then that she realized that, for the first time since they'd met, she and Tidus were really… alone. And though his comment, she now understood, had been jokingly suggestive, it didn't change the fact that what he proposed was actually… plausible.

Yuna tried to push back on the redness that flushed her face, but was far from successful. Instead, shaking her head of the idea, she forced her feet across the room until she too was at the door. Peeking her way in, she saw that Tidus was standing at the dresser, into a mirror sitting above it. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose again and looking quite exhausted.

Not quite sure whether she should address his weariness or not, she distracted herself with looking around the rest of the room. It was shrouded in semi-darkness, the sun setting outside. Like the previous room, it wasn't that terribly big and was covered in a good layer of dust. The furniture, though high-tech and sleek by Zanarkand standards, was stark, the most notable piece being the bed in the center of the room. That, compared to the rest of the furnishings, was large and, oddly enough, round. It also looked to be the most expensive piece in the room, layered with multiple pillows and plain, silk coverings.

Making her way over, Yuna went about sitting on the edge of the mattress, if only to make herself comfortable. And as she glanced up at Tidus, she saw that he was staring at her out of the corner of his eyes. Upon their gazes meeting, his attention flicked back to the mirror.

"Now that I'm not in such excruciating pain all the time," a fact he'd hid very well, "I realize just how… strange this all looks." He frowned, Yuna doing the same as she watched him. Not for the same reason however, but more so out of pity. "I guess I should be thankful it wasn't one of my legs, or even my right arm," he continued, his voice rather dead. "At least I can still blitz… I guess…" If he ever got the chance to do such a thing ever again. As of that moment, the idea was hardly very realistic. "It doesn't matter," he huffed, taking a step back. "Priorities change."

And Yuna, who wanted more than anything to offer him words of comfort, was able to find nothing to say. Instead, as he turned to her, all she could do was stare and hope her sympathy reached him.

Tidus being Tidus, however, tried to make light of the situation.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked with half a grin, addressing her staring, and Yuna could make out the insecurity in his gaze. The way his blue eyes seemed to search her face for an honest answer. "I know it's a bit of a change," he rolled the shoulder that no longer had an arm attached to it, "but is it really that much of a turnoff?"

Yuna smiled sweetly at him, attempting to alleviate his concern. "No," she assured. "It doesn't make any difference to me."

"I probably look better with the bionic one on," he sighed. "It's just such a pain in the ass to take off." He glanced at the door, as if considering whether or not he should go get it, and Yuna laughed lightly to herself.

"Tidus." She drew his attention back to her. "It wouldn't matter to me if you were missing both arms  _and_  legs," she was still smiling. "I'd still love you."

"Even if you had to push me around in a wheelchair for the rest of my life?" He looked at though he were going to place his hands behind his head, but upon the phantom of his left arm being realized, quick irritation dashed across his face before he decided his right fist would be better served on his hip.

"Even so," she assured.

"You must be willing to put up with a lot," he determined as he walked over and sat down on the bed beside her.

"I thought that was already obvious," she replied sardonically, Tidus pretending to be hurt over her words.

"I know, I know," he sighed dramatically. "I'm just so high maintenance."

"Very," she agreed as she reached up and laid her hand across his chest. Watching as her fingers brushed his skin, she sighed. "You should get some rest." Her words were quiet, repetitive even, though she couldn't exactly place why.

"Maybe I'm not tired," he murmured above her, his breath wavering against her forehead. And Yuna, who wasn't quite sure what to make of the breathy way he replied, decided that maybe it was best to stay quiet. For a few moments, all that was between them was stillness. A precipice, perhaps, that Yuna was somewhat hesitant to look down into. Tidus, however, ever the more forward one, eventually found the courage to leap and, leaning down, his lips found her neck, Yuna's breath catching in response.

Tenderly, he trailed his caresses down to her shoulder, his hand finding her waist. And Yuna, having never experienced such intimacy before, did her best to stay relaxed. Which, naturally, only resulted in her posture becoming stiffer. If Tidus noticed, he was ignoring it, which Yuna supposed she was thankful for. Not wanting to be a stiff board however, she tried to lean in closer to him, her hand finding its way up to his shoulder.

He started laughing then.

And Yuna felt her cheeks deepen into scarlet once again.

"If this isn't okay, you can tell me," he said, Yuna able to hear the smile on his face despite how she refused to look at him. Even more disappointed in herself for giving that impression, she practically retreated away from him, shrinking back. "Hey, Yuna," he didn't release her however, "I'm sorry."

"That's not it," she replied quietly, still refusing to meet his gaze. "I just… I've never…"

She could tell by the way his hand tightened on her waist that he understood her meaning.

"I… know that," he replied, which Yuna supposed was reasonable. Her experience level was probably obvious to just about anyone who knew her. "If you're uncomfortable, then we don't have to do anything." Whatever it was they'd been aiming to do.

"No, I…" Taking a deep breath, she finally got up the courage to turn her gaze to his. "I… want to. I just…" She glanced away again, just as quickly.

"It's okay Yuna," he assured, ever a beam of sunlight as he smiled. "We'll go at your pace."

"I want to," she said it more firmly then, if only to convince him. Because even as she said it, a voice in the back of her head whispered that she may never get such an opportunity again. As Lulu said, she had to make all the memories she could and this… this would be an important one. "Please…"

Tidus, who was staring down at her through a serious expression now, seemed to be considering her words. So, if only to make him understand how set she really was, she leaned up and took his lips in her own once again, her heart skipping at her own nerve. He responded of course and, holding his face in her hands, she pulled herself as close to him as she could get.

Fingers travelling across her back, Tidus held her up as he slowly turned them to the safe embrace of the bed. Falling together, Yuna found herself enveloped in the sheets as well as his form as she wrapped her arms around his neck, securing his closeness to her.

Outside, the city of Zanarkand had fallen to evening, lightning striking out through the clouds as if it meant to ricochet between the tallest buildings. And as the momentary light flickered in through the window, Yuna caught those blue eyes staring down at her. The same blue eyes she'd seen a few days prior and that had haunted her thoughts ever since.

Blue eyes that had met hers so many times before, had encouraged her and inspired her to go on even in the bleakest of circumstances.

Ocean blue.

Abruptly, she wondered why she'd been so nervous in the first place.

She had no reason to be; this was Tidus—her guardian, her friend, and the man she loved. And as these thoughts filtered through her head, the warmth between them only seemed to intensify, becoming heat that spurred both into the carnal instincts echoing up and down each nerve and each touch that came between them.

Outside, thunder rumbled, rain pelting down on the city.


	6. Found and Lost

Outside, lightning struck and, shrieking into her pillow, Rikku pulled the covers as far as she could over her head and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Yet every time she managed to convince herself that maybe it was over, that maybe the storm had passed, she was assaulted by another deafening crack that sent her shivering into fear.

Yes, she'd marched through the Thunder Plains. Yes, she'd faced her fear. But that didn't mean it didn't still exist, or that she was any more comfortable around lightning. And, if only to make the situation worse, the house was so high that they were practically sitting in the middle of the storm clouds. Rikku was convinced that, because of this, she was that much more likely to be electrocuted. Despite the safety of being inside.

Another bright flash streaked on past the window, followed by a loud clap, and Rikku tried to keep her eyes shut tight against it. Yet no matter what she tried, her memories echoed of the time her brother had accidentally struck her. She'd been so small, and so defenseless, it'd nearly killed her. Certainly a strike evoked by a storm would be enough to do the trick.

It flashed again.

Sitting up in bed, she breathed heavily, her eyes wide as she searched the room. For what, she didn't know. She was alone after all. Previously, she'd shared a room with Yuna, Wakka and Lulu staying in the one across the hall, but her cousin had gone with Tidus when he'd left the restaurant and hadn't returned. Which left Rikku completely and utterly by herself.

She wanted to get away from it, but she wasn't sure what to do.

Another crack seemed to flash just outside the window and Rikku bolted to her feet. Dressed in only the shirt of Auron's she'd been wearing regularly to bed, she quickly shuffled her way to the door before slipping out into the hall. Her eyes darted to the door that would lead her to Wakka and Lulu, but the thought of waking them deterred her. Instead, her gaze fell to the room further down the hall.

If anything, she should fear waking Auron up more, but the idea of sucking courage off of Lulu and Wakka, who were probably sound asleep in each others' arms, didn't bode well with her. Certainly Auron would understand, right?

He couldn't be mean  _all_  the time…

Jumping and muffling a squeak as another bolt crossed through the skies, she practically ran down the hall until she reached Auron's room. Grabbing at the door, she didn't waste any time in turning the knob, slipping inside, and clicking it closed behind her.

Breathing rapid, she gulped and listened, afraid that at any moment lightning would somehow strike them all from the skies.

Auron, she could see his bed sitting in the corner of the room beside the window, was sleeping, the sounds of his soft snoring trickling into her ears. Part of her, the braver part, wanted to go back the same way she'd come. After all, Auron lived there and he obviously wasn't worried. But as thunder rumbled, she was also assaulted by the abrupt need to curl up into a ball in the corner and cry.

She just couldn't take it.

Only considering her wellbeing in response to her actions for a split-second, she toed her way across the room until she was standing beside Auron's bed. Crouching down, as if that would somehow shield her from the storm, she stared at his half-open mouth and peacefully unaware expression (though it was haunted by severe, furrowed brows). Considering for a moment the best way to make her plight known, she was soon saved the stress because, as another flash streaked by the window, an involuntary shriek left her lips as she tucked her head against her knees and closed her eyes.

Auron was, needless to say, quite awake.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked as soon as he realized what the high-pitched zing that had awoken him had been. "Rikku!" He said harshly, apparently not one for being affected by sleep. "What are you doing?" He sounded angry she realized, even more grouchy than average, every-day Auron.

Another crack of lighting crashed the house and Rikku, who covered her head with her hands, thought she might actually start crying. Especially if he didn't start being nice to her.

Auron sighed, able to deduce soon enough why she was crouched down beside his bed.

"Rikku, go back to your own room," he ordered. "It's just a storm."

"No!" she squeaked, shaking her head, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders in disheveled waves.

"I thought you were over this," he started, sounding more and more irritated as their conversation went on. "You're acting like a child."

"You think I don't know that?!" she snapped temperamentally up at him, her green eyes, despite being brimmed with tears, narrowed at him accusingly. "I can't help it you know! Fear isn't logical!"

He sighed. "No, but it is logical to get over yo-"

Another shock of lightning struck and she shrieked again before pulling her head back against her knees, hiding.

"Rikku," he started again. "Go back to your own room."

She whimpered.

He growled. "Fine, but don't make any more noise." Beyond annoyed at having been woken up in the first place, he turned over, faced away from her, and pulled the covers more fully over himself before closing his eyes once again. For ten years he'd gone without sleep. To say he was a little sensitive about keeping to his schedule was a bit of an understatement.

Rikku, however—her head popping back up—took his words as invitation enough.

Unfolding her body, she quickly slithered her way onto the mattress.

Auron thought he might smack her.

"No!" he reprimanded, swiftly turning to put a stop to her attempts. "Get down."

She whined, sounding much like a five year old. "But I'm scared to be  _alooonnnee_!"

"Why?" he growled. "The storm can't get in."

"But it's right outside," she whispered, as if it might hear her. "This whole house is right in the middle of it." Her eyes darted around then, as if it were a monster that might creep out from the corners and grab her.

"And just like with everything," except for fiends and war, "Zanarkand is built with defenses against these things. Nothing is going to happen." A flash of lightning zipped by behind him, silhouetting his bare chest and leaving Rikku in a state of fearful shock. "Now get off my bed."

"Auron, please," she begged, sounding both legitimately serious and scared at the same time. And despite how he wanted to, he couldn't ignore the honest distress on her face. No matter how ridiculous or illogical, she couldn't control her terror any more than he could control her. Try as they both could, she was still going to be afraid of lightning whether she chose to face it or not.

"The Thunder Plains was worse than this," his tone quieted some, though was still cold, as he tried to bring her around to rationality.

"I was still afraid," she countered. "I was just hiding it because you were so mean to me."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm being mean to you now."

"No you're not…" she objected, her disagreement taking him somewhat aback. He certainly thought he was being mean, but perhaps he wasn't reaching far enough or putting in enough effort. "You said I could stay."

"Because I would like to get some sleep sometime tonight," he grumbled. And he certainly wasn't going to get that with her flinching and crying right beside him. "Now either get down on the floor or leave."

"I won't move or make any noise," she assured. "You won't even know I'm here."

"I doubt that."

"Please, I promise I won't bother you."

"Rikku…" He tried to sound as displeased as he possibly could.

"Please…?"

He sighed. Again. But sleep was calling him, what with it being the middle of the night, and even some of his decisions could be affected.

"Fine," he finally growled out. "But you so much as squeak and I'm kicking you out." He didn't allow himself to feel any sort of satisfaction when her whole form drooped in relief. Turning away from her again, he slammed himself back down onto the bed and made great efforts in making sure she couldn't have any of the blanket.

Rikku, far too relieved to even notice, allowed her shoulders to sink, completely forgetting for a moment that just because she wasn't alone anymore, didn't mean the storm had stopped. She was reminded of reality a few moments later however and, tensing up once again, she sunk her body down against the mattress and did her best to take up as little space on the bed as possible.

The storm continued and it took all her willpower now to not move or squeak as it did. Which proved to be quite the distraction for her. It wasn't until she heard the sound of Auron's soft snoring once again that she even allowed herself the thought of relaxing. It all seemed futile, though, because the more she relaxed, the more likely she was to jump when the lightning struck.

She was never going to get any sleep.

Yet, despite the fact that she'd considered the storm to be quite terrible initially, it started to pick up, if at all possible. The wind whistled by, moaning and shaking the windows. The rain pelted heavily against the house, clattering loudly, and the thunder got so loud that it sometimes shook the entire building.

She didn't understand how anyone could sleep through it. Especially when the lightning came at two or three strikes one right after another.

Soon, however, she came to realize that it wasn't being slept through. Auron's snoring, though light, had come to a stop, his breathing becoming oddly quiet. As if, perhaps, he was listening. She could only assume he was awake, but when she turned over to look at him, all she got was his bare back halfway covered by blanket. Frowning, she considered whether or not she should say something, but decided it'd only get her yelled at.

Another couple of flashes and the rain sleeted against the window, Rikku pulling her legs up anxiously. For a city that didn't actually exist, she decided, the weather sure seemed real. She was somewhat comforted by the visual of Auron's back, taking relief out of the fact that he was awake and, were anything to happen (no matter how helpless he'd be or unrealistic such a thing), he'd be ready. As he always had been during the pilgrimage, she realized.

She'd never once seen him sleeping.

More lightning and, spurred by fear to take a chance, she reached out and laid her hand against his back, taking copious amounts of comfort from the warmth that emanated there. And Auron, despite the fact that she knew he was awake, didn't say anything. He just went on ignoring her as he had been previously. Rikku, who was always more apt to test the waters than leave them, found herself scooting closer to him until she was nearly pressed up against him. His broad shadow blocking out the window, and the easy feeling of his breathing, calmed her considerably. Soon she was only tensing when the lightning came, her faith in being safe where she was growing with every second she spent beside him. And still he said nothing. He was totally silent, Rikku thankful that he was, for once, being nice to her.

For once, it almost seemed as though he cared.

The storm went on, slowly but surely fading, and soon Rikku was asleep, the man beside her following shortly after.

Early morning came and, with it, the inevitability of everyone in the house having to get up. Wakka was the first awake, ever the early riser, and careful not to wake anyone else (especially Lulu), he made his way downstairs. Once there, he glanced around and decided that he wanted some of that coffee stuff Auron was always making. The coffee pot mechanics had been explained to him once, but as he approached the machine, his confidence left him.

Glancing back at the stairs, he decided it wouldn't hurt to see if Rikku was awake. She was usually up at the same time he was and would know how to get the coffee started, what with considering how much time she spent with Auron in the kitchen.

Heading back up the stairs, he went to her room and, careful not to be noisy, tapped the door.

He didn't get a response.

Frowning, he deduced that she was probably still asleep. Otherwise she would have answered.

Turning around, he glanced around the hall and decided that, since he was there, he might as well see if Auron was awake too. He definitely didn't want to wake the older man (was he older? Technically, they were about the same age now, he supposed, but the whole 'Auron was young again' thing was rather confusing to him) because Auron was even grumpier when he was unhappy. But, again, it couldn't hurt to check.

Going to the door, he tapped it much like he had Rikku's, but, again, he was given no answer. Frowning, he tried again, a little louder, just to double check, and could have sworn he heard a voice. So maybe Auron was awake after all?

Not wanting to be rude, he only opened the door a slight crack before whispering into the room.

"Sir Auron?" he hissed. "You awake?"

"I don't wanna do the Macarena…" was the very confusing response he got. Turning around, he double-checked he was at the right room. Because he was fairly certain that it was Rikku's voice he'd heard coming from Sir Auron's room. Eyebrows furrowed, he focused back on the room before him.

"Sir Auron?" he hissed a little louder.

"Because my ankles are gone…" Rikku continued, Wakka convinced then that it was her. And despite how it violated Auron's privacy, he stuck his head into the room to see just what he and Rikku were talking about.

What he saw nearly caused him to gasp, but he managed stop himself just in time.

"I can't do it on my hands," Rikku continued to mumble. "Because the ceiling is too round." She was asleep. But talking. Talking and asleep. That was hardly what caused Wakka to stare, though. No, that was more due to her position in the room.

Her and… Sir Auron's…

They were both asleep, Auron with his head tilted slightly towards the window, mouth agape. Really, his straight, relaxed position was quite normal. Wakka wouldn't have thought anything more of it were it not for the blonde girl attached to him. Head buried in his shoulder, one of her arms was thrown over his chest, hugging him, and one of her legs was trying to do the same, her knee resting on his abdomen as her calf stretched down against the inside of one of his thighs.

Wakka wasn't sure what to do, or what to think.

"Not even if you gave me jellybeans," Rikku continued, her voice snapping Wakka out of his daze. Backing away from the door, he clicked it closed just in time to miss how Auron replied that he "didn't like jellybeans" before his head lolled to the left.

Wakka, eyes wide, gulped before heading down the hall to his own room. He was quite beside himself and, hoping Lulu was awake, slipped back into his own designated sleeping quarters.

Thankfully she was, looking as though she'd just sat up as she glanced at him when he came in.

He made sure to shut the door behind him, Lulu immediately sensing his unease and furrowing her brows curiously. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"Oh Lu," he came stalking over to her, his voice hissed as he sat down beside her. "You'll never guess what I just saw." She was skeptical, but didn't interrupt. "I was just checkin' to see if Sir Auron was awake, cuz I can't remember how to make the coffee, and when I looked into his room, I saw…" he took a deep breath. "I saw  _Rikku_."

Lulu blinked, not entirely sure why this was so horrific.

"She was there, ya," he continued. "Sleeping. In his bed. Mutterin' to herself."

Still he was not getting the reaction he'd expected, his brain furiously working through what details he'd given and which he'd forgot. Finally, he came to the most important part. "And he was there too," he added. "In the bed.  _With_  her."

And that was the point Lulu had been waiting for.

"They were sleeping together?" she asked, suddenly much more intent than she had been previously.

"Ya," Wakka nodded furiously. "She was hangin' all over him." And Lulu, who had glanced down at the sheets thoughtfully, quickly digested everything she'd heard and tried to come to a logical conclusion. Yet despite how she searched, nothing was revealing itself to her.

"Well there has to be a reasonable explanation," she said quietly, more to herself than anything. "There's no way they're…"

But before any more conversation could be had on the matter, they both heard the familiar sound of a door being opened. And based on its location, it had to be Auron's. Frozen, they both listened and, for some reason, felt as though they should be as quiet as possible.

"…not happen again," they heard Auron saying as he approached their door. "I don't care how bad the storm is, you stay in your own room next time." His footsteps faded as he headed for the stairs, Rikku's voice, though inaudible to them, trailing after him.

Lulu released a relieved sigh.

"See, it makes sense now," she decided, far more poised than she had been previously. "Rikku being… Rikku was afraid of the lightning and Auron… let her stay in his room with him." Even as she said it, it didn't sound right. Or possible. But Auron did seem to have lightened up considerably since the last time they'd seen him. They'd all attributed it to him being young again, as if his physical age should affect him. He was much more the person they'd seen in the old spheres they'd watched than the man that had gone on the pilgrimage with them. "He was just being sympathetic," she finished firmly.

Nodding to herself, as if that should validate the notion, Lulu threw her covers aside and stood up, completely ignoring the befuddled look Wakka had plastered to his face. Because, as far as he was concerned, such reasoning hardly seemed to validate what he'd seen. There was something about how they'd lain there, tangled up in one another, that didn't seem to convince him that there wasn't something else going on.

And, unfortunately, that was the idea Auron was afraid someone might have gathered had they seen him that morning. Which was why he was thankful no one had (or so he assumed). Upon waking up, he'd found, much to his immediate discomfort, that Rikku had basically plastered herself to him. Glancing downward, he'd taken note of how her arms had gripped at him, her leg extremely heavy between his own two.

It was then, with careful delicacy, that he'd reached down and gently shoved Rikku's leg away from him. Mostly because he could imagine her having woken up and accidentally injuring him in places he'd rather she didn't. As soon as he was safe however, he'd flung her arm hastily away from him, causing her to wake up with a start.

In an uncommonly bad mood, even for him, he'd then gotten up, grabbed a shirt and sweatpants, and headed out to the hall, making it perfectly clear to Rikku, who was still somewhat startled as she followed him, that what had happened the night before was never to transpire again. Ever.

Without another word to her after he'd finished his lecture, he sat down at the kitchen table and, grabbing a tablet that was sitting near the edge, tapped it into life before scrolling to the Zanarkand news. His light reading for nearly every morning.

Rikku, nose scrunched up with sleep, sat down beside him, seeming to cast him a somewhat confused expression in response to his silence.

She yawned.

He pursed his lips.

"What are you reading?" she asked, sounding only half-interested, which vexed him further. Why ask such a pointless question when she knew he was preoccupied? It was only early morning and already he felt as though he was more irritated with her than ever.

He ignored her question.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess…" she muttered and Auron, as if to remind her just what side of the bed he  _had_  woken up on, cast her the severest sidelong glance he could muster.

Rikku huffed, shaking her head and turning away. Standing, she decided it was too early to deal with him and instead went about rummaging through the kitchen for some breakfast. That aside, she was slightly embarrassed over her behavior the night before. Looking back, things always appeared about half as bad as they'd seemed at the time. She knew, were she faced with a storm of the same magnitude again, she'd likely act in the same way, but that didn't mean she wasn't ashamed of such behavior.

Well, what was done was done she supposed. No use beating herself up over it.

Eventually managing to locate some fruit and cinnamon bread, she returned to the table and went about eating. Her thoughts, however, were continually drawn to the man beside her. It was only a matter of time before her voice put life to them.

"I don't understand why you have to be such a grouch all the time," she started, knowing full well her words wouldn't go over well with him.

He didn't even bother to look at her, pretending, she decided, to be wholly indulged in whatever it was he was reading.

"You really should lighten up some," she continued. "I mean, you're a lot more relaxed than you were on the pilgrimage, but I think there's still room for improvement." She forked some diced peaches in-between her lips.

"I hadn't realized my personality was viewed as such a hindrance," he stated coldly, still not so much as flicking his gaze to her.

"I'm not saying it is," she objected. "But you're just so serious all the time."

"I'll stop being serious when there isn't anything to be serious about."

"You should try laughing once in a while," she decided.

He "hmphed" in response.

"The way I figure it," she continued, undaunted, "you've been given another chance. So why not relax a little and enjoy it?" He didn't justify her with a response. "I mean, you've got a nice place to live, friends who like you (incredibly, since you certainly don't encourage them), and it's not like you're totally bad looking either."

"What a compliment."

"I'm just  _saying_ ," she ignored him, "that if I was brought back from the dead, I'd find some time to have some fun is all."

"I think you have enough fun for the both of us."

"C'mon, Auron," she continued to pester. "Don't act like that." And he eyed her with a cocked brow, as if his behavior was so expected, she could label it as "that." As if it were a thing, something to be detached from him. Something bad. What caused him pause, however, wasn't the fact that he was acting one way or another, but that she seemed to think there were times that he acted different when, to his knowledge, his mood wasn't varied from anything than it usually was.

It was kind of insulting, actually.

He didn't have the patience to comment on it, instead preferring to go back to the news. Rikku, her lips forming into a pout, bit into her cinnamon bread and considered for a few moments whether she wanted to continue to pursue the subject. Part of her, the more childish part, wanted to poke at him further. But, before she could go about finding the best way to do so, her eyes flicked to the large, ceiling to floor windows on the backside of the house. There, she could see the neighbors in the building parallel were out on their porch, faces turned to the sky.

Immediately curious, she rose from her seat and made her way over. Glancing up against the glass, she tried to get a view of whatever was so interesting.

There, skirting across the inside of the dome, was the silvery Leviathan.

"There he is!" she awed, leaning closer to the glass to watch as it flitted through the sky. "He's okay…"

"What?" Auron had come up next to her, following her gaze upward.

"I didn't know it could get inside the shell though…" she observed, the serpent soaring higher and higher as they watched.

"I've… never seen it inside the shell before," Auron replied, his tone oddly mystified, causing Rikku to glance over at him. His brows were pulled together in what appeared to be concern, the creases of his face only seeming to deepen.

Turning back to the window, Rikku's mood dropped considerably, both she and Auron watching as it finally reached the top of the shell. As if it were no great effort at all, it surged through the barrier and out into the Farplane, the forcefield rippling behind before calming once again.

Slipping into the outside world, it vanished, once again an invisible enigma.

**oOo**

Eyes fluttering open, Yuna involuntarily stretched as she stared at the pillow on which her head rested. The black silk brought the memories of the night before slowly filing into her brain, her lips pulling into a small smile. Still stretching, she turned her body to the left, arm reaching out.

Her fingers met with empty space.

Abruptly, her heart froze, memories from further back assaulting her. Of waking up over and over and over again only to realize that the reunion she'd had with him had all been simply a dream. Night after night such ideas had bombarded her, leaving her empty and cold when she'd awoken.

Gasping, she surged up in the bed, gaze hastily darting around the darkened room.

Slowly, her heart calmed, her senses registering that she wasn't in the hut in Besaid. Head turning, she peered to the window where there, some miles beyond, she could see the glowing lights of the city. Of Zanarkand.

Gulping, a shaking sigh left her lips.

Though she was able to calm herself, that didn't change the fact that she was, indeed, alone. Pulling her bare legs over the side of the bed, she peered into the darkness—it must still be early—and attempted to locate her clothes. She managed to spot some of them, but not enough of the articles to dress herself. She saw Tidus' clothes as well, still scattered upon the floor.

Lips pursed, she supposed it didn't matter. Standing, she ignored the vague soreness that echoed between her legs before heading toward the door, where she could see hazy darkness filtering in. Pushing the door open, she glanced around the dim living space, her eyebrows furrowing when no other figure became apparent to her. For a moment, she grew tense once again, her hands twining together beneath her chin. She couldn't see him anywhere and, honestly, the boathouse wasn't that big. There were only so many places he could be.

Slowly toing her way into the middle of the room, she continued to glance around, her gaze eventually falling on the front door, which was cracked open slightly. Heading to it directly, she pulled it open until she could peer out, the sight that stood before her causing her shoulders to drop in relief. Relief she hadn't realized was waiting to be released until that moment.

He stood at the balcony, bare back to her as he leaned his one good arm on the rail, his chin in his hand. He appeared to be staring up at the sky. At the storm in the distance that had just recently passed over them and was now assaulting the far side of the city. And while he watched that, she watched him, pulling the door the rest of the way open, silent as she stepped out.

Abruptly, a mischievous thought struck her. Hand at her mouth, she approached him as quietly as she could. Grinning, she reached out as she came up behind him. With one swift, decisive move, she brought her hand forward and spanked him, his whole form jumping as he straightened suddenly and yelped.

Giggling, she continued to smile as he whipped around to face her, blue eyes wide as he stared down at her.

"Jeez, Yuna," he breathed, "You scared me." He smiled however, taking her actions in jest.

"How so?" she asked curiously. "Were you expecting someone else to sneak up behind you?" Crossing her arms over her bare chest, she cocked a single eyebrow up at him.

His smile widened. "Well, I get snuck up on a lot these days," he replied as he reached forward with his one good hand, his knuckles trailing her jaw. "Though your method of attack was unique, I'll give you that." They both laughed then, Yuna noting, however, that, on his side, it sounded somewhat… empty. Once upon a time, it'd been her mirth that had struck of nothingness. Their roles were reversed now.

"Is there…" Her lips fell into a slow frown. "Is there something wrong?" Concern laced her expression, Tidus looking as though he would exhibit the same upbeat lie for a moment, but eventually gave in to her searching gaze. Hand falling gently to her shoulder, he sighed.

"I can sense it," he explained quietly, blue eyes falling downward. "The fiends, they're gathering outside the shell." He looked to the side. "They'll attack sometime today." Yuna could tell where this was going, her gaze searching his face as he spoke. Reaching out, she laid her hand on his chest, her nerves spiking.

"No." She shook her head. "You can't go out there. It's too dangerous." Tidus was shaking his head before she'd even finished her objection, his blue eyes turning back to face her. Yet she continued. "What if you can't change back again?"

"When I became an aeon, I hadn't had any intention of turning back," he replied quietly, Yuna unsure whether to be hurt by his words or not. "I'm the only defense between the dead and the shell, which is far more fragile than it looks. Sometimes the fiends  _have_  gotten through. If someone doesn't keep them at bay, they will break it down."

"You said it yourself that someone, some _thing_ , was trying to kill you," she tried again. "If you go out there, it could try again." But to the one who was bent on sacrifice, such an argument did little. She knew that better than anyone. "Eventually it'll get you."

"Then I just have to find whatever it is that's behind all this before it gets the chance," he reasoned, though all Yuna could sense from his words was more hollowness. "I can't watch my city be destroyed, Yuna. I couldn't bear it." All the life lost when he could have done something to try and stop it.

"Then let me come with you," Yuna said the words before they'd even had the chance to fully form in her head.

"No," he objected immediately, his hand falling away and leaving her shoulder cold as he turned back to face the city. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous." And Yuna knew he'd looked away so as to avoid the fast offense that filled her look. Whether he faced her or not didn't matter however—she was going to make her sentiments known.

"I don't care if it's dangerous," she objected fiercely. "I've faced Sin, been called a traitor by my people and been hunted, slandered, and-"

"I know all that," he interrupted, Yuna clamping her mouth shut resolutely. "It's not that I don't think you could handle what's out there." His tone was quieter. "It's that I can't allow you to be around me." His eyes glanced back at her over his shoulder. "When I'm Leviathan, I… I lose control. I can't have you around that.

"I don't  _want_  you around that."

"But if I'm with you, then I can help you," she objected, less angry now and more desperate. "You shouldn't have to fight alone. Maybe… maybe I can help keep you… sane, and heal you. It's too risky to go out there alone."

He was already shaking his head.

"Yuna…" His voice was barely audible. "I already almost killed you once…" In his pain and uncontrolled insanity. "The surprise of seeing you was the only thing that stopped me, barely. And the madness gets worse and worse every day. There's a chance I won't even recognize you… anymore." He'd been shocked to see her the first time, what little humanity within him that had remained. But there'd be no shock value anymore. He could turn and rip her apart in seconds, the feral lunacy taking over despite how he tried to fight it.

"Then don't go," she said again, rounding him and turning him so he was forced to face her. He refused to look at her, his expression dark as he stared at the ground. "We'll find another way to defend Zanarkand that doesn't mean you turning into an aeon again. There has to be another answer. And if there isn't, we'll make one."

"The only way to defend Zanarkand is to stop the attacks."

"Then we'll find whatever is behind it," she continued, her hands lying on his chest. "We'll stop them. Together."

"No, Yuna," he shook his head, her expression falling at his continued objection. "I want to stay with you, to do as you say, but I know it's impossible to find the answer within… a day," he smiled, almost cynically, and the expression looked foreign to her, a bitterness there that she'd never seen in him before. "Zanarkand is more fragile than anyone realizes. The fayth came to me with the idea of becoming what I am because they know they can't stand up to the dead trying to break in. One day without my defense, without my distraction, could prove fatal to everyone here. I don't… have the time to consider anything else."

"But you said it yourself that you'd been trying to find the reason this is happening," Yuna continued to reason, but she knew her words weren't having any affect.

"And I failed." He shook his head. "Not only that, but I was still capable of coming back and defending the city. As a human, I can't do that." And Yuna knew there was little else she could say that would convince him otherwise. What he said was true. The city was in immediate danger and there was no one else that could defend it, not in the limited time, hours even, that they had to consider it. The city could be overtaken by then.

She couldn't stop him.

"Let me go with you…" She tried again, but he kept shaking his head.

"You coming with me…" he whispered. "It won't serve any purpose."

"You don't know that," she strained, her forehead leaning against his chest. "Maybe we can figure out a way to turn you back, to control it."

"I won't risk that," he continued to refuse. "Besides," he smiled down at her, lifting her chin so their eyes met, "someone else has to find the one behind this, right? That's why you're here, to find the answers that no one else can. Following me, that helps no one."

"Except you," she murmured.

"The best way to help me, Yuna, is to stop all this," he replied. "To… find out why the dream can't fade and make it so it can. So the fayth can rest. So the people don't have to be ravaged by war and death. Such a fate is… no different than Sin."

"And you'll fade away again…"

There was a pause as he considered her words—his fate—before he spoke again.

"I can't protect you anymore, Yuna," he said quietly. "I know I said I'd always be there, but I… I can't…" His eyes closed—he looked as though he were in pain—and Yuna felt his chest shudder under her touch.

"Then I'll protect you," she stated firmly, staring up at him as determination hardened in her gaze. "I'll find out what's happening here, and I'll fix it. I'll find a way." That bitter smile took to his expression again. "I won't let you be murdered by whatever it is that's out there. And I won't let you remain in this insanity forever either." She shook her head. "There has to be a way."

And though neither of them said it, they both wondered at what way she was referring. A way to disperse the dream so he could rest? A way to stop the fiends? A way that would allow them to be together? At that moment, it all seemed equally impossible. But she'd find a way, just as he'd said he would the year before. She'd do something.

Something…

Watching him, Yuna saw Tidus' attention pull away from her, his gaze falling up to the sky. His expression hardened, his look darkening. He could sense something she couldn't, feel the danger coming. He was slipping away from her again and there was nothing she could do about it.

On the horizon, the sun's early morning rays lightened the sky, a soft breeze blowing off from the water around them.

He'd be gone with the night.

"I'll save you," she decided, pulling his distant gaze back her way. "I promise."

He didn't respond, his eyes sad as he dropped his hand away from her. Backing up, he took in her desperate stare for only a moment longer before allowing his eyes to fall upward. Pulling up his hand, he welcomed the prison that looked to clasp around him once again. Unholy armor.

Watching, Yuna's mouth fell agape as the water around them began to ripple, his whole body rising off the ground as the clouds above their heads parted for a striking light to descend and sharply engulf him. It seemed to come from nowhere, the water from the sea drawn up in ribboned rivulets to strike around and wrap where he'd previously been standing.

Another layer of light shot downward, encircling the first and lighting forth archaic symbols of the fayth that enclosed him. They flashed, causing her to take a step back, the power behind them giving her little other choice.

The light took shape, becoming the silhouette of a giant serpent. Like milky water, it soon dripped away, disappearing as it splashed atop the ground or dispersed upon hitting the seawater. Left in its wake was the silvery, shining aeon that had been but near death some few days before.

Blue eyes turning to her for only a second, he glanced her way before flicking his attention upward. With a splashing kind of charge, he spiked up, into the sky, and swam toward the clouds. Toward the shell. Watching him the whole way, Yuna gripped at the banister, her heart tight and pained as he surged into the shell and easily rushed through, on into the outside world. To beyond, disappearing behind the city to the cliffs waiting.

She realized, some few minutes afterward—as she'd stared at the heavens where he'd been flitting onwards previously—that she was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

Pursing her lips, she gripped the railing a little tighter, closing her eyes as she pushed her emotions back into safer depths. Taking a few seconds to reclaim stable breathing, she soon pushed herself from the banister and decided, quite seriously, that she had a job to do.

Heading hastily back into the boathouse, she went to the bedroom, which was now alight with the rising sun, and gathered her clothes. Slipping them on, she then gathered Tidus' as well before hefting them into the other room. Dropping them to one of the couches, she then seized the mechanical arm before adding it to the pile. Pausing, she glanced around the room until she spotted an item able to assist her. Pulling it from where it was stashed and piled with blitzball gear, she then brought it over and unzipped it.

The duffle bag was good-sized and everything easily fit inside it, arm and boots included. Zipping it shortly after, she pulled it over her head and allowed it to rest atop her shoulder. Glancing around the room once again, she considered whether there was anything else she needed, if there was something that might later be necessary. And as her eyes scoured the room, a single blade caught her attention.

It leaned up against the wall by the kitchen, shining in all the same aqua glory it had on the pilgrimage, the serpent screaming at the hilt only seeming more appropriate as she looked at it. He'd been carrying it when he'd faded away and apparently it'd come back to the dream with him. Brotherhood, a sword she stared at now and was only reminded further of his position.

Pursing her lips, she approached it, somewhat surprised at its weight as she picked it up. It mattered little however and, glancing around once more, she located another duffle bag and, careful not to shred the fabric, slipped the weapon inside, the blade just barely fitting and stretching the corners of the cloth. She couldn't carry a sword around in Zanarkand, the possession of weapons illegal to civilians (a law that Auron had told them of when they'd attempted to enter the city armed), so she hoped her poorly developed disguise would hold through.

Deciding she was set, she left the house and started her walk toward the city, only realizing as she reached the outer edges of the main buildings that she had absolutely no idea where she was going. And no money to get there.

Pausing on the lower path that stretched into the city, she considered her options, supposing she could actually get lost in the city forever if she wasn't careful. After all, it wasn't a small place by any means. And she had absolutely no idea where Auron's house was in comparison to her current position.

She considered asking for directions, but supposed that would do little good seeing as she had no idea where she was going. For a moment, she could do nothing but stand and wonder what she was  _supposed_ to do. Auron had explained to her how to use the telephone, but she couldn't remember the combination of numbers that would connect her to him. Other than that, she knew no other ways of contact. She supposed she could call down a car like Tidus had the day before, but even if she did, she couldn't tell them where to go or… pay them.

She sighed.

As she did however, she spotted a car coming her way, dropping down until it was pulling up next to her. At first she wondered if she'd somehow, accidentally, signaled it to come down, but upon closer inspection, she recognized it—her father's car. He came to halt right beside her, Yuna resituating the bags on her shoulder somewhat uncomfortably. Every time she spoke with her parents, she grew nervous.

Braska's form stepped from the car, his brows concerned as he came up to her. Yuna tried to muster up a reassuring smile, but wasn't sure whether she'd managed it or not.

"Yuna," he started as reached out to her, as if to assist her in some way, but faltered and returned his hand to his side, perhaps because he didn't feel he was close enough to her to offer such assistance so casually. "We stopped by Auron's to see if you'd come back, but when you hadn't, decided we'd better go and make sure you and Tidus were alright. But… what are you doing out here? By yourself?"

Yuna sighed. "It's a long story," she stated, not wanting to elaborate any further. Mostly because she was assuming that Tidus didn't want his identity to be revealed. He'd gone to great lengths to hide it and though she didn't quite understand why he was doing so, she'd respect his attempts and keep it a secret for as long as she could.

"Where's Tidus?" Braska asked then, his soft voice sounding almost accusing, and Yuna tried not to be injured by the tone, more so for Tidus' sake than her own.

"He… he had to go to work," she explained.

"And he left you out here to find your own way around?" her father asked, sounding aghast.

"Well, he…" She had to come up with something better to say. Unfortunately, she'd never been much of a liar. "He was running late and I told him I'd just call Auron, but I forgot the number…" She had no idea if that was a viable excuse or not. By the look on her father's face, he wasn't convinced. And seeing as he didn't know Tidus the way she and her friends did, she couldn't blame him for being suspicious. "C'mon," Yuna started before any more discussion could occur on the subject. "Let's go back to Auron's. These bags are getting heavy." And without another word, she passed her father and went to the back of the car. Pulling the door open, she shoved herself and her parcels inside before Braska had time to react.

Soon they were all in the car and turning back toward the city, Yuna taking pains to appear tired and uninterested. She knew her parents glanced back at her, but they seemed to take the hint her attitude portrayed and asked her nothing. Thus, the trip was silent. Some twenty minutes later, they were deep inside the upper tiers of the city, pulling around to Auron's three-story house.

Still bulging with her rather bulky bags, Yuna made her way inside as her father held the door open, his concern having deteriorated to curiosity.

"Yunie!" Rikku squealed as she came in, the blonde fully dressed, awake, and ready for the day. More so, perhaps, than Yuna herself. "You were gone all night, huh." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You and Tidus sharin' some  _alone_  time?" And despite everything, Yuna felt a blush rush to her face.

"That's enough, Rikku," Lulu reprimanded as she came upon the group. "Yuna and Tidus' private life is their business and no one else's." She said it all very seriously. "Just like your private life," she stared pointedly at the young woman, "is of no consequence to anyone but you."

Rikku pouted.

"Hey, you're here!" Wakka came bursting in next. "I was hopin' you'd get here soon. Wanted to talk to ya about… Where's Tidus?" His simply pulled expression portrayed confusion, Yuna having supposed they'd asked this question nearly as soon as she'd walked in.

"He's at work," she explained easily, now more comfortable in her fib. "He had to leave early this morning." Making her way further into the house, she went to one of the couches on the far right and set down her bags, her shoulders thankful to no longer have the weight. The mechanical arm was pretty heavy.

"Oh really?" Sir Jecht's gruff voice came around from the kitchen, his expression sour as Yuna caught sight of it. "And where's the kid workin' then? I thought he was investigatin' all this… messed up dream stuff just like the rest of us." His arms crossed haughtily over his chest, Yuna pursing her lips as she considered what to say.

"He is," she finally replied, watching as Auron descended the stairs, entering the conversation as stoically as ever. "In fact, he told me some things that he found out." Or hypothesized rather, but it was a good way to deter the discussion to other points.

"He actually learned something about what's happening?" Braska asked curiously, all of them much more intent now. And Yuna, feeling the pressure of their gazes, cleared her throat before continuing.

"He said that it seemed like someone, or something, was controlling the fiends," she started, getting right to the point. Her explanation brought looks of surprised curiosity to the faces of those around her, but remained continually silent. "That's why they're able to organize the way they do."

"But how is someone capable of such a thing?" Braska asked.

"It's not unheard of," Lulu interjected. "We've seen it done before."

"Alright," Jecht started, "but what's that got to with what's goin' on here?" Because such an idea certainly didn't solve the issue of Zanarkand being there to begin with.

"I don't know that it does," Yuna replied, expression thoughtful as she brought her hand up and wrapped it around her opposing elbow. "But if we figure out who, or what, is behind it, well…" Such a thing might not help them disperse the city, but thus far it was the only lead they had. "It's better than sitting around here, waiting."

"Did he say anything about where to find this… thing?" Lulu asked.

"No." Yuna shook her head. "But he seemed to think it was outside the shell." In the Farplane somewhere. Beyond where he'd felt confortable investigating. And where she had every intention of going until she found answers. And if she didn't find them, she'd look somewhere else.

"You… you want to go outside the shell?" Nehphrin asked, staring at her daughter with wide, surprised eyes. "But… it's too dangerous." She wasn't exactly attempting to stop the idea, but rather display how shocked she was at such a notion being suggested.

"I know that," Yuna replied stoically, unforgivingly even. And those who had witnessed her determination to become a summoner years before understood exactly what they were dealing with. It didn't matter how dangerous it was, she'd made her decision and would go through with it whether she had support from anyone or not. "But I don't see any other choice. It's the only lead we have that might take us somewhere."

"The Farplane is the land of dead," Jecht stated coldly. "And if something is controlling the fiends, it's that much worse. If whatever it is finds out you're hunting it, it could end badly." His warning wasn't falling on deaf ears, Yuna was fully aware of that.

"I'm not asking anyone to come with me," she started, glancing around to them all. "I'm fully aware of the danger. But I have to go." She didn't elaborate past that, her lips sealed with determination.

"You don't have to act like it's a hard decision for us to make." Lulu smiled lightly. "Of course we'll go with you." She nodded in understanding, Yuna's shoulders dropping in slight relief.

"Ya Yuna!" Wakka grinned, patting his bicep. "We're ready to go with you anywhere!"

"We are your guardians after all!" Rikku chimed in happily, hopping up and linking arms with her cousin, further comforting Yuna that she was making the right decision.

"I… I want to go with you as well," Braska interjected, Yuna glancing up at him in surprise. "You're my daughter and though I couldn't protect you myself during your pilgrimage, or much of the time otherwise, I want to be able to do that now." Nehphrin nodded in agreement.

"No," the voice came out of nowhere, all their eyes flicking to the side to see Bahamut floating there. "You can't all leave." No one responded to his objection, waiting instead for him to justify himself. "I believe it is right, Lady Yuna," he looked to her, "that you should take on this pilgrimage. But you cannot all leave. You, Lord Braska," he then focused on Yuna's father, "are the only trained summoner here other than your daughter. The summoners and white mages of Zanarkand do not possess a fraction of the knowledge that you do. And the two of you," he looked to Auron and Jecht, "are the only ones defending Zanarkand with even a slight amount of knowledge. Especially you, Sir Jecht. Were it not for your influence, Zanarkand may not have mobilized any of their military." The facts rang true with them all. Without the three of them, or Leviathan, Zanarkand was all but defenseless apart from the shell, which wasn't a guaranteed protection.

And Braska, who realized this just as well as Yuna, glanced down at the ground in silent consideration, concern and pain echoing across his face.

"He's right," Yuna agreed, breaking away from Rikku and approaching her father. She laid her hand comfortingly on his arm, their eyes meeting. "The fayth brought you back to protect this place. They called me and my guardians to find the solution. We must all do our duty." And she knew, because of her father's history, that saying such a thing would no doubt convince him.

"Jecht and I will stay," Braska started then, looking at the fayth unflinchingly, "but Auron made a promise to protect my daughter. He was one of her guardians and will continue to fulfill that promise." The fayth didn't reply at first, but eventually nodded, his form then disappearing since he'd made his sentiments known. And Auron, who hadn't had one word to say on the subject, continued without anything to say. They could all tell, based on the typical, severe look on his face, that he agreed with what Braska had said.

"What about Tidus?" Jecht asked, his tone colder than it had been before. "He goin' with you?"

Yuna couldn't meet his eye. "He can't," she explained, the others listening intently. "He has other things to deal with."

"What 'things?'" Jecht barked in irritation. "He's your guardian ain't he? A guardian never stops guarding his summoner. That boy should be goin' where you're goin!'" He was obviously furious at the development, Yuna able to see it on the faces of the others that they all agreed.

She sighed.

"He retracted his guardianship," she told them truthfully. "He's my guardian no longer." This spurred many wide eyes from her friends as well as gaping mouths. Silence too, though Jecht was the only exception.

" _What_?!" He was furious, his face reddening even as he stood there. "What do you mean he's not your guardian? That little shit! I'm going to kick his sorry ass all the way back to Spira!" He was practically yelling then, his voice echoing up through the house. Braska and Auron didn't seem surprised by this response, but some of the others jumped in surprise. Yuna was not among them, however. She stood stoically, unable to be affected by anything. "Yuna," Jecht talked to her fiercely, "you tell me where he is right now and I'll kick some sense into that damn head of his!"

"I can't do that," Yuna replied steadily, still looking at no one as she spoke.

"What do you mean?!" Jecht snapped.

"I can't tell you where he is," she repeated, once again earning her curious looks from everyone else. And Jecht, who's breathing was shaking with fury, was unable to find anything else to say. Beyond frustrated, he whipped around and yelled, as if there were no words to relieve his stress. Which Yuna supposed was justified. Jecht had been extremely concerned about his son while he'd been missing. To then have Tidus show up for but a few days before being gone all over again? She imagined the knowledge, or lack of it, tortured the displaced father.

"You do know where he is then, ya?" Wakka asked delicately. As delicately as Wakka could in any case.

Yuna didn't respond however, explaining without words that she'd say no more on the subject. Rather, she didn't actually know where Tidus was, but she knew what he was doing. In any case, she was still far more in the know than anyone else. And for that, despite how grateful she was at knowing the truth, she was apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few seconds of silence, still unable to meet any of their eyes.

"Don't be sorry," Auron stated seriously. "Such secrets are not yours to reveal." He nodded to her then, Yuna catching his eyes and sighing gratefully at his words. Jecht didn't appreciate them, however. Upon hearing them, he growled and stomped his way upstairs, intent to sulk and worry in private.

"Yeah Yunie, we trust you," Rikku added. "And Tidus too. He must be really busy if he can't be your guardian anymore." Because they were all aware that he'd become extremely dedicated to the profession. Only dire circumstances could cause him to give it up, which was disconcerting to those more intuitive individuals. "But, ah," Rikku tried to change the subject, "what's in the bags?" She gestured to the duffles sitting on the couch.

"Um," Yuna moved over, as if to stand between the bags and her friends. "I can't… I can't tell you that either." More concerned curiosity. "Please, I would if I could but… it's as Auron says." This was only more perplexing to all of them, but taking Auron's cue, they questioned it no more, Yuna trusting that they'd leave the bags alone.

"Well, if the five of us are going on a quest," Rikku, again, tried to change the subject, "then we should get ready! It'll be just like old times. Only… without Tidus or Kimahri." She frowned thoughtfully.

"When we leavin,' ya?" Wakka asked, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

"As soon as we can," Yuna verified. "Today, if at all possible." Since the morning had only just begun. Nodding in understanding, her guardians took up their journeying attitudes and began to prepare. With Auron's help, they soon had as much food as they were capable of carrying packed up, their weapons in order, and other items they might need separated out. Originally, they hadn't been going to bring tents (they hadn't used them on the pilgrimage), but Auron had brought out the special tents they'd used at the camps along the outsides of the city. The machina tents, which took up all of no space. He explained, as he held a small, shining cube up for them to examine, that the tents were packed thus and that if one were to press the button on the top, it'd project outward a special forcefield that created the tent. It wasn't much for defense, but it kept most of the weather out—when it wasn't "glitching" anyway. So they'd decided to bring along a fair amount of those as well, not knowing what to expect from the Farplane. And Rikku, who was intent to investigate the machina, released it inside the house, creating a mess of kitchenware that Auron had to clean up. Needless to say, he hadn't been happy. Eventually, though, everything was settled and soon they were ready to move out.

"Let's do this, ya!" Wakka said enthusiastically, his gatling gun, which was nearly as tall as Yuna, strapped to his back (he'd long since given up on his prejudice against machines and had learned a considerable amount from Rikku. With this in mind, he'd exchanged his blitzball for a more modern arsenal). He was belted with sashes of bullets, ready for combat.

"Yeah! I'm ready!" Rikku exclaimed happily, her red daggers strapped to her hips. "Let's show those fiends who's boss!" She and Wakka high-fived, their high level energy beginning to burst.

Auron shook his head as he watched them, his katana sitting across his back, which was now clad in a long, dark red, leather jacket, the collar standing up and framing his jaws.

"Are you ready?" Lulu asked as she came up beside Yuna, her wand, which was about half as long and thick as a staff, hung at her hip, dark and spidery in its design.

"I'm ready," Yuna assured as Lulu placed her brown hair behind her ear. Holding her staff tightly, she soon placed it in its proper position lying against her back before her focus was pulled to the other three in the room. Braska, Nehphrin, and Jecht appeared none too pleased with the situation, but were unable to do much about it.

"Don't worry," Yuna tried to comfort as she approached her parents. "Everything will be alright. We've all dealt with worse." And though her words were empty—none could know what she was about to face—ease was taken from the speech nonetheless, Yuna hugging her parents soon after. And as she did, the thought struck her that, if any part of what they did was successful, she might never see them again.

She held them a little tighter. A little longer.

When she finally pulled away, she cast them a last, reassuring smile before turning her attention to Jecht. He didn't look any happier, his scowling expression laced with concern.

"Don't worry," Yuna addressed him quietly, his red eyes flicking her way. "He's alright." A lie if she'd ever told one, all her efforts being put forth to make in convincing. And Jecht didn't appear to see through her, his shoulders dropping as some of the tension left his face.

"We should go," Auron started, his stoic, pressing attitude once again plaguing his intentions. "If we leave now, we might make some good time before sundown." Nodding, they all said some final farewells before heading out. Piling into Auron's car, they glanced up at the house, reminded only quickly of the luxury they were leaving behind.

"Where are we going, Yuna?" Auron asked as he started the car and Yuna, who hadn't considered which direction to take, paused to consider the notion. Glancing to the west, she noted that it was the direction from which they'd originally come. And the east… that was the direction from which Leviathan had always appeared.

"East," she verified after a moment, confident in her decision. Nodding, Auron backed them out into the skyway and, breathing in the air of impending pursuits, they looked to the horizon, their goals stretching further beyond.


	7. Captive Liberation

"There's nothing out here!" Rikku complained as they continued their hike across the Farplane. "There are barely any fiends!" Her lamenting had been going on for a good part of the last hour, the other five doing their best to ignore her. It was growing more difficult with each step however, mostly because what she said was the absolute truth.

They'd left Zanarkand behind some time ago, the city only a slight glow in the distance. But for how long they'd actually been walking, they couldn't exactly tell. The sun didn't exist in the Farplane, they'd discovered. Sure, there appeared to be one when they'd been in Zanarkand, but it must have only been a figment of the dream itself. Surrounded in flowers and waterfalls, all the travelers got was a dull, empty kind of light, where it came from unable to be determined. It felt stale and unwelcoming, and uncomfortably warm.

Concerning where they were headed, that too was a question to be considered. Thus far, the Farplane was a singular stretch from west to east, Zanarkand wedged up into the north and south walls, which stretched forward on either side of the travelers, walling them in and giving them only one option as far as directions to take—East. If it  _was_  East anyway. Yuna supposed that without the existence of a sun, the idea of direction in and of itself was defeated.

They ran into fiends occasionally, but they weren't very strong and didn't appear to be associated with the ones that had attacked the city. Singular, they just happened to be strong enough to find form in the dense array of pyreflies. And there were pyreflies  _everywhere_ , though mostly they remained floating up above their heads, blurring out the sky (if the sky actually even existed).

Rikku growled in frustration, the group then coming to a halt.

"Maybe we should rest a while," Yuna determined, supposing they'd have to stop eventually. Were they on Spira, night would no doubt be falling.

Plopping down on the ground, Rikku sent flower petals flying as her shoulders sank. And Yuna, who hadn't realized how exhausted she was, dropped the duffle bags she'd been carrying and sighed a breath of relief. Wakka had offered to carry the bags, but Yuna had refused him. Granted, he'd promised not to look in them, but she hadn't felt it was fair to make her friends lug them around when she refused to reveal the contents.

"Are we even actually moving?" Rikku questioned, everyone glancing back at her. "I mean, does time and distance even exist in this place? What if there isn't anywhere to go?" Her questions weren't answerable and didn't make anyone feel better. Rather, they procured the opposite effect, her friends glancing away with disgruntled looks on their faces.

"It can't go on forever," Lulu determined. "If the density of the pyreflies has been upset, then the idea of this going on forever is impossible. For density to have an effect, the size of the Farplane must be measurable." What she said sounded logical and they took some relief from her words, not willing to ask whether logic even existed in such a place.

"I wonder what's at the end of it," Yuna questioned, squatting down in the flowers and staring into the distance curiously.

"It's something no living being has ever seen before," Auron replied stoically. "We should keep going," he then went on. "There's still some distance we can make before we rest." As he'd done many times before, he urged them on, pushing them to their last nerve and ounce of strength. And Yuna, who supposed he was right, strapped the duffles back atop her shoulders and headed forward once again, flanked by her friends. Rikku couldn't hold back a groan as she got up, however.

"I wonder what everyone in Spira thinks happened to us, ya?" Wakka thought out loud.

"Probably think we're dead," Lulu replied easily.

"I hope they don't send anyone in after us," Yuna murmured.

"I wonder what happened to the people that got sucked in before us," Rikku started curiously. "Maybe they're alive in the city or something. Bet that'd be pretty shocking." She laughed.

"Doubtful," Auron replied coldly. "The only reason all of you were granted entrance into," and exit out of, "the city was because Yuna could communicate with the fayth. Anyone without that ability would have been stranded." His explanation was met with silence, Rikku frowning. They could all gather what he was saying. Those who'd been transported prior were probably lost. Dead. Gone.

The idea made the journey ahead of them that much more daunting.

"Uh, hey guys," Wakka grabbed their attention, pointing to the right cliff. "What's that?" And of course, being the well-prepared persons that they were, they immediately pulled their weapons into an active position. What they saw was simply a silhouette through the pyreflies, a rare occurrence in the Farplane that usually meant a fiend. This one was huge, the others continuing to stare curiously at it while Yuna lowered her staff.

"It's Leviathan," she said then, just before the creature got close enough to be seen through the haze. It was skimming across the cliff, flitting and flying gracefully to the "east," the same direction they were headed, though it remained at a great distance.

"I don't know whether that's good or bad, ya," Wakka said quietly, all of them remembering quite vividly what had happened the last time they'd run into the aeon.

"Maybe we can scare it away," Rikku whispered.

"It won't bother us," Yuna determined easily. "Let's go." Not even giving her friends the chance to reply, she continued to head further through the Farplane, leaving perplexed expressions in her wake. Her attention was torn, however. Her heart had leapt upon seeing him, but the logical part of her brain held back. Though he was there, that didn't mean he was in his right mind. And even if he was, he wouldn't approach them. The distance between them would remain. Unless, of course, he attacked them, a notion Yuna didn't want to consider.

"What does it want?" Rikku asked temperamentally, everyone casting sidelong glances at Leviathan. The aeon was a fair bit faster than them and was soon flitting on ahead, beginning to vanish from sight one again.

"Nothing from us, apparently," Auron replied as they stared after. "Leviathan must have his own agenda." Which Yuna knew to be true. Even if Tidus was in his right mind, was keeping an eye on them, he'd still zip back to the city if he sensed it was in danger. That was his priority—his mission.

"Just so long as it stays away, ya," Wakka determined. Unfortunately, Leviathan kept returning, flitting around the cliffs as if it were following them. Yuna was the only one unperturbed by its stalking, the nerves of her friends continually spiking around her whenever it showed back up. Only Auron seemed otherwise calm on the matter, though he did drift closer to Yuna whenever it appeared.

Soon, despite how the sky never changed, they decided to stop and put up camp. Quickly circling their machina tents in a secure formation, they all sat down together to eat before most retired to bed. The order of who would stand watch was set, Yuna somewhat irritated that she was left out. She wasn't a summoner anymore, but her friends had reasoned that it was she who the fayth had wanted to come and thus it was their job to protect her. In this sense, things would remain as they had been on the original pilgrimage.

Yuna had had little choice but to give in.

She found it difficult to sleep. She faded in and out of consciousness, rolling back and forth inside her tent. Eventually (she didn't know how many hours she'd been attempting to rest), she couldn't take it anymore and surged upward. Somewhat annoyed with herself, she exited her tent, glancing around to see that it was Lulu who was sitting in the middle of the formation, standing watch. They must have been about halfway through the schedule then.

Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, Yuna rounded the side of her tent, fully aware that Lulu would probably see her anyway. Hopefully, as the older woman understood far better than others the idea of tact, she'd be left alone. She didn't have any intention of going very far, but her feet wanted to move. And so she headed off into the Farplane, toward the southern cliffs, in the hopes of exercising out her anxiety. As she'd expected, she wasn't followed, instead, left to her own thoughts.

Her mind was just as unknowing as her movements, constantly drawn from one worry to another. From Tidus to Zanarkand to Spira. The weight was heavy, the unease never-ending. It'd been different when she'd had a goal in mind, when her journey had had a clear ending. But what they were doing now… It left her feeling lost. What she was doing, she had no idea. They were simply walking with no intention, hoping to come across something, anything. The nothingness was stress incarnate.

No direction…

Having been staring at her feet sifting through the flowers, Yuna soon sighed and flicked her gaze back up, about to groan in frustration. Her voice was caught in a gasp however, her body freezing as her heart skipped in her chest. Her surprise was evident, the figure before her watching without even the slightest hint of disturbance.

For a moment, Yuna's voice was lost, her eyes wide as she took in the man standing before her. There was some thirty feet between them, his blue eyes focused unblinkingly on her.

Initially, her thoughts had rushed to the idea that, somehow, he'd turned back. He'd become human again. But even as the notion entered her head, she knew that what she looked at was a lie. The face was different, thicker, and the hair was darker. The way he stood was heavier. And the glint in his darker gaze was unforgiving. Sapphire, not azure.

Pursing her lips, she stood her ground.

"Who are you?" she asked loudly.

He didn't answer, though his expression registered her voice. He blinked, his jaw tensing slightly. And Yuna, taking no good vibes from him, reached back and grabbed at her staff.

For a moment, they continued to simply stare at each other, Yuna gulping as her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

Yet, finally, the stranger took motion. Chin rising, his gaze fell back behind her, his weight falling to one leg as he crossed his arms over his chest. Something else had caught his attention.

Skidding up beside her, Yuna wasn't surprised as her friends, armed and on the offensive, flanked around her. Yet upon seeing what she was up against, they all froze, their attentions and thoughts becoming rapid.

"Tidus?" Rikku questioned, almost lowering her daggers, and Yuna quickly put an end to such assumptions.

"That's not him," she made perfectly clear, her tone ringing inside Rikku's head and causing her to pull her weapons back into position.

"Who are you?" Auron demanded to know.

The stranger narrowed his eyes, almost as though he hadn't heard anything they'd said. He did speak however, but what he said was in no way a response to their own inquiries. "I can't allow you to pass," he said sternly, his tone, though oddly similar to Tidus,' much deeper by comparison.

"And who are you to stop us?" Auron asked, deciding to keep on with the conversation.

"The guardian of the Edge," he replied darkly. "None from the city shall move beyond this point." And, as if to accent his position, his hand fell to the hilt of the sword sheathed at his side. Yet still he made no move to actually attack them, perhaps thinking his warning would be enough of a deterrence.

"The Edge?" Lulu questioned.

He narrowed his eyes at them.

"We will pass," Auron made perfectly clear. "None shall stop us." And his hand tightened around the hilt of his katana. "Not even a guardian." And the stranger, who must have assumed they'd back down, snarled in irritation.

"I have been given this post and shall not hesitate to protect what lies beyond." He tried again to threaten them. "None shall pass."

"What are you protecting?" Yuna asked, her tone far less confrontational than Auron's. "We're not here to harm anything or anyone," she continued. "We're simply looking for answers, that's all."

"You come from the fake city," he replied. "No dreams will be allowed beyond this point. None who serve the fayth are welcome here."

"Then you are not a dream?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Of course not!" he rebuked hotly. "Dreams are nothing but copies and memories. They have no sense of the real world or will of their own. The entire idea was nothing but a comfort for Yevon." Yu Yevon, they took his meaning to be.

"Then you're alive?" Lulu asked.

"No."

And thus their answer was before them.

"I'm dead," he continued, far more talkative now than he had been originally. "I was killed during the war between Zanarkand and Bevelle a thousand years ago. Murdered unjustly because I tried to stop the Slaying. The living are full of nothing but hatred and destruction." His last words were said with venom, hissing out across the distance between them.

"The Slaying?" Yuna asked curiously.

"The unjust sacrifice of all the summoners in Zanarkand!" he replied harshly, the darkness upon his figure increasing. He was haunted by the words that erupted from his mouth, twisted by pain and despair. Insane perhaps. One of the potential side effects of death. "Forced to give up their lives to serve Yevon and create the Destroyer. The one that would conquer Bevelle."

"Sin…" Lulu murmured.

"Yes, Sin," he hissed, growing more and more frustrated as they watched him. "And summoners were convinced they were doing the right thing. That by aiding Yevon in creating his armor, they were protecting Zanarkand. But I knew there was no saving the city." He shook his head. "The summoners were pushed to the front lines, oblivious to the way Yevon then turned the remaining citizens into fayth and  _destroyed_  the city! As if to preserve it!"

He was pacing shortly then, staring at them as though it were all their fault such terrible things had happened.

"That fake city is nothing to the lives actually lost," he spit. "I watched it from Gagazet, me alone. The remaining people were turned to stones, tied to Yevon before he moved on to the Razier Plains to take the summoners as well. The whole city was empty and after he used the life force of the summoners to call Sin, he leveled it!

"I tried to stop him! To warn the summoners!" he was yelling in a rage. "I tried to save her!" He looked harshly away then, continuing to pace as a few pyreflies whispered out of him. "I will not fail again!"

"Who were you trying to protect?" Yuna asked quietly, their aggressor coming to an abrupt halt then to stare at them in outrage and offense.

"The summoner!" he shouted. "It wasn't right that she should have to sacrifice her own life to stop the destruction. I tried to get to her, but Yevon had already taken her up as his own and I couldn't reach her! So I went to Bevelle! I tried to warn them, to tell them to stop the war before it was too late. But they threw me in prison! They left me to  _rot_  while Yevon sucked her dry.

"I couldn't do anything," he was pacing again, his hands in his hair as he gripped at the blonde locks, plagued by internal insanity. "I couldn't find a way to save her." And Yuna didn't know if it was how similarly  _they_  looked or the desperation in his voice, but her own feelings resonated with his. With his failure. A parallel where her guardians had succeeded.

"But I will not fail this time!" He turned on them, his lips pulled back into a snarl once more. "None shall pass! The dreams must stay where they are, blasphemies! They will not interfere! They  _cannot_ interfere." His sword was pulled from its sheath, shining vibrant and blue in the glowing light of the Farplane.

"He comes!" Auron warned as, experience gracing his movements, the stranger rushed at them. Weapons raised, they all took efforts to counter the onslaught, Auron rushing forward just in time to catch the steel of the blue blade against his own. With a great heave, he shoved the stranger back again.

"I will not rest until you are banished!" he yelled and came at them once more. Again and again he came at them, not a care at all for his own wellbeing. He was struck several times, but never was their any blood nor apparent slowing in his rage. And he was fast, too fast at times, which made it difficult for them to strike well. But even the dead had to grow tired, his attacks coming to a halt as he bounded backward and out of range.

"Nothing will get past me," he growled, his words coming off as a threat, and as he stood there, his breathing heavy, the pyreflies around him seemed to gravitate closer and closer. Yuna and her friends all recognized what has happening. They'd seen Seymour do this as well—pull in more pyreflies to make himself stronger. It was, apparently, a skill the dead could command if powerful enough.

"We have to get him, now!" Auron bellowed, each of them still armed and ready for combat.

"There's no need for that."

And as quickly as it had all begun, abruptly it was over. As if a whip had come down and scattered the pyreflies, the man vanished, lost in a burst of light. Shocked, Yuna and her friends could do nothing but stare, the voice that had halted them approaching from behind the glowing remains of the crazed dead man.

"Shuyin, Shuyin," she cooed as she paused to stare down at the spot where he'd been standing only moments before. "Always letting your emotions get the better of you." She glanced up then, her green eyes sparkling as she smiled. It was a cryptic smile however, the sight of it sending a shiver down Yuna's spine. "I should have known he'd get carried away." Hands on her hips, her high, blonde ponytail swayed behind her. She was dressed oddly, almost like an Al Bhed with Yevon accents. Two large red bows were tied on either side of her waist.

"What did you do to him?" Yuna asked, unsure whether she was surprised or angry.

"Do to him? Nothing," she shrugged innocently. "I was just sending him back to base is all." The ones listening furrowed their brows. "He has this unhealthy habit of saying too much, though his misdirected rage does make a powerful weapon once in a while. He was a little too rash to have center stage however, which was why he was here."

"Base?" Lulu asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh my," she placed a single finger against her lips. "Maybe I have a habit of saying too much as well." She laughed lightly. "Not that it matters. It's quite too late to stop our plans now. Soon everything will be within our reach."

"Are you the one after Zanarkand?" Yuna asked, feeling as though she was reaching for straws, yet also on the mark. Intuition perhaps.

"Zanarkand?" She laughed again. "That small heap of dreams? Hardly." She waved them off, only confusing the group further. Able to understand some of their expressions though, the strange woman continued. "I'll admit, I was the one summoning all those fiends around and sending them at the city, but," she was beyond nonchalant, "it wasn't because I actually  _wanted_  to do anything to the city."

"I don't understand." Yuna shook her head.

"Of course you don't," she replied. "I'm not finished yet." Yuna pursed her lips. "Those fayth of yours only think of one thing—their  _precious_  city. They called that…  _snake_ to protect it, which was the main reason we've been attacking the fake metropolis. That aeon kept getting awfully close to our borders and is probably the only thing that could have stopped us. But…" she smiled again, "I kept it distracted. Now it's too late."

"The attacks on the city," Auron started coldly. "It was all a big diversion. To hide whatever it is you're actually doing."

"Exactly," she laughed again, the sweet sound grating to their ears.

"What,  _exactly_ , are you doing then, huh?" Rikku asked.

"Well I can't tell you that silly," she assured. "We summoners are awfully bound to keeping our word, and I swore not to tell any of the dreams." They weren't dreams (Auron being the exception), but all decided to stay quiet on that subject. "You're all far too weak-minded to handle it. That's the consequence of being made up of memories."

"And I suppose," Lulu was as calm as ever, "that whatever you're planning won't end well for us."

"I couldn't really say," she replied. "Dreams are useful, but hardly need be considered to mean anything. Rather, our plans are for Spira."

"Spira?" Yuna asked abruptly.

"Not that you'd know anything about that." She smiled wider. "But I really have said  _far_  too much." She sighed. "Now that our plans are in motion, it's hardly necessary for me, or Shuyin, to be here. Even if that snake were to find out the truth now, it's too late to do anything about it. I'll be returning." She waved to them mockingly. "Ta-ta."

A growling snarl was heard above their heads. Glancing up, they all watched as Leviathan shot down out of the sky, through the pyreflies, and slammed into the spot where the woman was standing. The collision and the force of the blow sent Yuna and her friends flying backward, a storm of flower petals erupting in the same moment.

Scrambling up off the ground, Yuna watched as Leviathan coiled around the woman, still growling and hissing in anger. Yet even as they watched, there was a bright flash that struck through the crevices between Leviathan's twisting body. The great aeon shrieked, more so out of rage than surprise, before winding away. Like those watching, the beast's eyes were drawn to the steaming spot where the woman _had_  been, but was now… empty.

Leviathan snarled, making it quite obvious that, somehow, the stranger had escaped his clutches. Whipping and flitting about carelessly, it attempted to search for her, but came up with nothing. It shrieked again, alighting into the air before vanishing up into the sky.

Left gaping and flabbergasted, the group remained in their current positions, attempting to take in all of what had just occurred. Yet it'd all happened so fast…

"Wow…" Rikku murmured.

It took some moments before they could gather their bearings.

"This don't sound good, ya…" Wakka decided, his lips pulling into a frown. "Bringin' Spira into it an' everythin.'" He shook his head.

"We have to find out what… what's going on," Yuna decided, her own heart falling at the idea of Spira being in danger. "We have to stop whatever that woman and whoever she's working with are planning to do." Yet even as she said as much, no options were presenting themselves. Despite all they'd heard, they'd learned nothing. They were no closer to even reasonable questions, let alone answers.

"That Shuyin…" Auron started. "He said he was guarding something called the 'Edge.' If we came across him, then perhaps we're not too far off from his ward." Perhaps. Though there was no guarantee. Yet, abruptly spurred by a feeling of haste, they decided that they'd pack up their things and get started once again, far more intent on making it somewhere, anywhere, than ever before.

"Leviathan was pretty mad," Rikku started once their journey had begun anew. "I totally thought it was going to attack us next, you know?" She shook her head, practically sighing in relief.

"I don't think it was affiliating us with that woman," Yuna said, more certain than her friends would have expected. Though some were getting inklings that tried to lead them to the truth. "I think it'd been… listening. It has been following us. Perhaps it heard what she said and…"

"And tried to stop her from leaving," Lulu offered.

"Can that thing really understand what's happenin' though?" Wakka asked. "It seemed pretty crazy when it tried to… attack Yuna a few days ago…"

"It was in pain," Yuna defended. "No one would be in their right mind…" She resituated the bags on her shoulders.

"You seem to claim a lot of knowledge in defense of the beast," Auron countered.

"O-of course," Yuna replied quickly. "I'm a summoner. I can… sense things from it… sometimes…" Which wasn't exactly a lie. She could, at times, connect with it. Now, whether that was because it was an aeon or Tidus had yet to be determined.

"You should tell it to stay away from us," Rikku muttered. "Gives me the creeps."

Yuna decided not to reply.

They didn't run into Leviathan again, however. Wherever it was, it was keeping its distance. Besides, even if it had been flitting around, the others were far too intent to really notice. Not because of their mission, but because, after a few hours worth of walking, the scenery around them began to change. Not in the sense of becoming a different place, but abruptly the ground was headed downward, the flowers descending into high steps they had to climb down. Not only was it a new development (because the Farplane had been quite all the same prior), but it was also taxing to have to scale down the miniature ciffs. Because, though they looked like steps—steps covered in flowers—they were hardly proportionate to human size.

Taking a deep breath, Yuna dropped down one more step, somewhat surprised when, beneath the carpet of flowers, her feet splashed into water. Water that came up to her ankles. All around, her friends encountered the same thing, each of them staring quizzically down at their feet.

Rikku splashed around childishly and decided that "none of this made any sense," before hunkering onward with slumped shoulders.

"I'm tired of jumpin' down cliffs!" Wakka decided. "Gonna break my leg or somethin'…"

"At least we're getting somewhere," Lulu added, though her reasoning was debatable.

"Ugh, we're not getting anywhere!" Rikku decided and, stomping hastily forward, looked about ready to vault down the next cliff face. Eyes narrowed, Auron surveyed the next edge before, legs pumping, dashing and splashing through the water. Reaching Rikku just in time, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt just as she was about to head over the cliff.

"Stop, you idiot," he scolded, Rikku jumping and glancing back at him in surprise. "Never mind your blind trust that nothing in this place ever changes," a comment on her decision to simply walk over the next ledge, "but look at the water." Pausing, they all glanced down. And Yuna, able to easily understand what he was referring too, followed the flow to the edge of the nearest cliff. Abruptly nervous, she got down on her knees and carefully leaned over the edge.

Her heart dropped at what she saw.

"Ohhhh!" Wakka was looking over as well. "There's nothin' there, ya!" The water, as Auron had pointed out, was flowing forward, catching the edge of the cliff, and left to the demise of emptiness below. Nothing to catch them—no flowers, no ground, nothing. Just empty air.

Disheartened, Yuna fell back onto her rear, not at all sure what to think to do next. Because it wasn't that they were merely high up on a mountain. No, it was almost as though they were floating. On a floating island in the air. Because even as she looked down, she could see the bottom edge of their current cliff. It ended some three feet down, vanishing and leaving nothing else to the eyes but a deep, dense fog. The water, which ran over continuously, was left to spray and be wasted among the clouds below.

"We've reached the Edge," Lulu determined coldly. "Was this really what Shuyin was referring to?" Because, as far as they could tell, there was nothing worth protecting.

"There must be something else beyond here," Auron decided. "But beings such as ourselves can't reach it." That was, the living and dreams. The dead, as Auron knew full well, possessed abilities those otherwise couldn't even fathom.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rikku asked, crouching down and fingering the flowers in apparent despair. And Yuna, who could offer nothing, pulled her knees up to her chin and stared out into the emptiness, her thoughts numb as her frustration pulled her downward.

"This place…" Wakka shook his head and sighed. "Don't understand any of it…"

Tired and worn, everyone was soon circled around, sitting on the Edge and trying to figure what they could possibly do next. No words came however, silence reigning supreme as they considered the futility of their circumstance. They were in a world they didn't understand, where they didn't belong, and were getting nowhere. Truly, it seemed hopeless. It was almost expected, then, that thoughts would be drawn to other things.

Rikku sighed. "That Shuyin guy," she started. "He sure did look an awful lot like Tidus, you know?" She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, her legs stretched out before her as she stared up at the pyrefly-littered sky.

"Sure didn't act like him," Wakka determined, though Yuna wasn't quite so sure she agreed with that assessment. It was uncanny, actually, how much the crazed dead man had reminded her of Tidus. Though he'd clearly been insane, she'd heard so many of his words echoed in Tidus' own. Still, had Tidus failed to save her, she liked to imagine that he would have been strong enough to beat such despair. Because it wasn't just his summoner that Shuyin had lost, but apparently his whole way of life—his home, the people he knew, everything. Such insanity was justified, she supposed.

Then again, perhaps Tidus had lost that too…

He wasn't exactly the most stable-minded individual anymore however, or so she noted to herself.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. Just thinking about him and his situation gave her a headache. Especially since she had no answers. She dreaded the idea of Tidus becoming Leviathan forever, becoming an entity equal to Sin in its mindset. She wouldn't allow that. Somehow, she'd save him. She  _wouldn't_  fail.

He'd be free of his responsibilities as a fayth one day. No longer sentenced to flying around the Farplane, protecting a dream.

Soaring…

Eyes flicking open, Yuna was abruptly on her feet. She was so struck by the idea, the realization perhaps, that her sudden actions took all her friends by surprise. Smiling to herself, she turned away from them, her eyes scanning the skies intently.

"What is it Yuna?" Lulu asked, all of them standing behind her.

"I have an idea," she announced. Silence followed her declaration, her friends apparently expecting some kind of explanation, but Yuna decided that they'd no doubt disagree with what she was now attempting to do. "Don't worry," she said, avoiding the subject. "You'll understand soon."

She was sure they were glancing at each other questioningly, but she stole her focus from them. Her searching of the heavens got her no results and, quickly brainstorming, she decided to try another method. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and, clasping her hands together beneath her chin, allowed her consciousness the familiar stretch that had once been trademark of her dealings as a summoner. After all, it'd worked once in Zanarkand. Who was to say it wouldn't work again?

Praying, she searched. But it was difficult. When she'd been in the city, the fayth had been so close at hand, so near. It'd been easy to track her way from one spirit to the next, to connect with them. Now she was basically fumbling around in the dark, hoping her thoughts were strong enough to reach him, wherever he was. She had little faith in her ability to expand her prayers all the way to Zanarkand, but if he was close…

He had been following them.

Gritting her teeth, her hands tightened together as her brows pulled harshly together. She tried, she pushed—she could feel the sweat beading on her forehead. She was reminded of the first time she'd ever prayed to the fayth, when she hadn't realized what she'd been looking for and had strained continually until finally she'd tripped across Valefor. This felt much the same, only instead of being inexperienced with a solution close at hand, she was an expert with a resolution far beyond anything she had ever reached for. But she tried. She tried so hard, too hard perhaps.

She refused to give up.

"She's praying… right?" Rikku asked Auron quietly, who nodded, though he was equally as curious about her actions. Eyes narrowed, he waited, as did they all, for something, anything, to happen. And though the minutes ticked by, they were left in silence. Nothing changed except that Yuna appeared more and more fatigued. It wasn't until they were going to put a stop to it that the sound of swishing through the empty air caught their attention.

Glancing up, they all gaped at the silhouette of Leviathan above them.

"You called that thing here?!" Wakka asked incredulously as Yuna stood. She was somewhat unsteady on her feet, but her elation at her success easily bypassed any exhaustion that overtook her. Instead, refusing to sever the connection she'd finally managed to locate between herself and Leviathan, she stared up at the aeon with bright, unrelenting eyes.

"I don't know that this is a good idea…" Lulu murmured, fully aware that Yuna wasn't going to listen to her.

Rather, the summoner of their group was too busy trying to ease the emotions of the beast hovering yet a long way above them. She couldn't talk directly with him, she'd already tried, but she was able to sense his mindset, just as she hoped he could hers. He was nervous—he was afraid to be around her, afraid he was going to hurt her and his friends. And Yuna, by contrast, attempted to calm him. To assure him that he was in his right mind then—for certainly he had to be to feel such things—and that so long as he listened to her, he'd remain so. At least, that was what she'd decided would happen. She sent him inklings of their predicament, of what they'd inferred, which, quite to her frustration, only seemed to concern him further.

His movements twitched above them, his form flicking further away, and Yuna unintentionally added a layer of desperation to her communications with him. This seemed to make him angry, that she'd act this way when he'd already warned her of the danger. Growling, he flitted further away  _again_ , Yuna forcing herself to remain calm. Yes, the beast before her was Tidus, but even at his sanest, he was still now trapped in the shell of an aeon. He was unstable and if she let her own emotions get the better of her, she'd lose him. She had to recall back to her summoner training, when she'd been taught to always be calm and collected. Only the most levelheaded of summoners could succeed because only they could truly tame the aeons.

"He doesn't seem too happy…" Rikku muttered, unconsciously taking Auron's arm and hugging it to her chest. He ignored her, far too intent on the creature above them to care.

And Yuna, forcing herself into steady breathing, tried again to convince Leviathan of their plight. To somehow enlist his help.

Upon thinking such a thing however, he shrieked into the air, flipping wildly in both frustration and anger. Backing her consciousness away from him, she kept only her fingertips shimmering over his spirit, touching him only enough to keep in contact. He calmed slightly, no longer being so thoroughly invaded, and Yuna tried again, slower this time.

She didn't jump to ideas during the next round. Instead, she tried to instill the idea of him coming closer. Of simply coming down so she might speak with him. Because, though communicating through feelings was personal and all, it certainly wasn't the most articulate of methods.

Still he was hesitant.

Yuna assured him that it'd only be for a moment, that she only wanted to speak with him. And though he was continually nervous, he slowly sank some in the sky, still refusing to come all the way down. Rather, he flitted around above their heads, as if still contemplating how close he could really get. Or, perhaps, how close he  _had_  to get.

The comforting waves Yuna offered seemed to be working however and, despite his misgivings, Leviathan was soon perched on the ground, supported by his three legs some distance away from them. His blue eyes, which were centered with round pupils, stared at them suspiciously.

"What are you doing, Yuna?" Auron had come forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her advances. And, much to everyone's surprise, she whipped around with an irritated flare in her eyes, ripping her arm from her guardian's grasp.

"Stay here," she hissed quietly. "Don't say anything, don't make any fast movements. Okay?" She didn't give them much choice because, within the moment, she was walking toward the beast once again. And, wary of her warnings, they had little choice but to do as she had said. For fear that if they didn't, they'd be putting  _her_  in danger.

Entirely intent on Leviathan once again, Yuna slowly crept forward, her hand gradually reaching out. Yet as she got closer, she could sense strong waves of unease wafting from him. And as the distance between them began to close, he actually backed up a step, his head swinging to the side as he contemplated flying off.

Yuna, calmly, tried to convince him to stay. And as she did, his head swayed between staring at her and into the Farplane, a strange, growling like whimper emanating from his throat.

He took another step back.

"Please," Yuna whispered, his attention falling back to her as she spoke. "Nothing is going to happen." Her assurance did little, she could sense that, and she continued to try and ease his roiling moods. "You're not going to hurt me," she continued. "I promise."

The clearing echoed with his oddly savage whimper once again, those behind listening, astounded at the reactions Yuna was pulling from the beast. Mostly because, though they couldn't sense exactly what was going on, it was obvious Leviathan was distressed.

"You have to trust me," Yuna continued, no longer approaching him for fear of scaring him off. "I know you don't want to help us," she gulped, "because you don't trust yourself. But  _I_  trust you. I know, if I help you, that you can control this." It wasn't completely clear, but it almost appeared that Leviathan had shaken his head, once again glancing out into the open Farplane as his one front leg pawed at the ground apprehensively.

Yuna considered her words carefully, trying to find the most efficient.

"I know you're afraid," she started, "because of what happened the last time we met." She and Leviathan, that was. "But I've… I've dealt with a lot of aeons and I know, if you would just let me try, I could help you. We could get control of this. Together." She took a step closer to him, his attention on her fully now. "But you have to trust me. That's how the relationship between a summoner and an aeon works." Still, she slowly but surely walked toward him. "Summoners have to be disciplined in order to create a connection between themselves and an aeon. And once that connection is formed, I'll be able to… ease the insanity inside of you.

"But you have to let me." And even as she said as much, she projected the assurance to him that there was already a connection between them. That, if he'd just lower his defenses and let her in, she'd be able to fight with him against the madness crowding in.

For a moment, she could sense his feelings of need, of desperation and the want to be freed. But just as quickly, the fear was there. Fear that the worst would happen. He'd never wanted to be a threat to her, never thought he would be. He'd wanted to protect her, always, and now that seemed impossible.

"It's okay," Yuna whispered, her words too quiet to reach her friends waiting behind. "It's my turn to protect you now." She kept her heart rate under control despite how her own nerves wanted to burst. But if they did, he'd be gone. She couldn't let that happen, for more reasons than she thought she could know. "Tidus…" her words were hardly a whisper, but he heard them. "I love you, no matter what you are." Her hand was still outstretched to him, her fingers steady. "Let me in. Please."

And he didn't back away. Even as the distance between them slowly came to a close, he remained. Though his claws were tense in the ground and his neck curled defensively, he stayed.

He  _stayed_.

And as Yuna stretched her hand up to his nose, she realized that his head was too far up for her to touch. If he wanted to try, if he really had any faith in her—and himself—then it was up to him to make the connection now.

Behind her, the four watching were frozen, eyes wide and bodies tense. They were ready to jump to Yuna's defense, despite how futile the idea. For certainly, at this distance, if Leviathan were to turn on her, they'd be too far to do anything. But they had to hope otherwise because, were they to give into fear, they'd likely rush forward despite her warnings.

Yuna was unaware of them however, her gaze intent on the man staring back at her. Though he was swathed in the skin of a beast, she could see him there, in the depths of those deep blue eyes. She applied herself there, opening up her consciousness entirely. She remembered the first time they'd met and gave the feelings she'd held then to him, how her heart had jumped upon talking to him for the first time. Their conversations during the pilgrimage, how happy she'd been when he'd laughed, despite what she'd believed to be her fate.

She allowed him to feel the despair she'd harbored the whole time she'd been set on being with Seymour, how much she'd desired it was him instead.

That night they'd shared in Macalania, when he'd comforted her in a way no one else could have done. She allowed her own emotions to envelop him, to ease his nerves and fear.

From there, her thoughts jumped to what they'd shared just the other night. Together, inside the sheets, every feeling he'd bestowed on her. The most personal of experiences; how her body had relished in the elation. She gave it all to him, allowed him to see it all, if only to comfort him a little against the madness raging on inside his skull.

She forced him to know just how much she loved him.

And his blue eyes, taking in hers, calmed their searching ever so much. They blinked behind his scaled lids, recognition of everything they shared gradually dawning there. It wasn't just the fear and the anxiety. There was more. So much more.

A few among those watching gasped as, gently, Leviathan's head lowered until it was just level with Yuna's hand. She was able to lay her fingers gently between his nostrils, his breath heavy and rushed before her. So great was his breath that, with every exhale, she could hear the air rushing through him before it tossed her hair and clothes billowing backward. Smiling, she allowed her hand to travel further up his heatedly-chilled head, the giant feature like hot ice beneath her touch.

He closed his eyes, the connection between them even stronger then. Though he stood before her as a great aeon, she was almost able to convince herself that he'd wrapped himself up in her, his head buried against her collarbone as he inhaled everything she had to offer. As what humanity was trapped inside the shell took sanctuary with her, shielded by her raw determination to ward off the evil the was dragged behind.

Holding his great head in both her hands, she gradually brought him down, grounded him. She urged him to seek his humanity with her, to find it there and know that, no matter how mad he felt, she'd hold it there. She'd always know, even when he didn't, who he really was.

He could trust her in that.

"You'll help us, won't you?" she asked, his eyes blinking back open. She felt a swift flash of anxiety sweep through him, but she easily defeated it, the growl in his throat almost becoming a purr as he stared at her.

She smiled wider.

"Good," she decided, her hand reaching under his chin to scratch him lightly. Because, though he was a human deep down, he possessed the body of a beast and would take pleasure from such actions, just as her previous aeons had. The physical attention was comforting to them. A luxury they rarely received.

The thrumming inside of him only seemed to increase, his eyes closing again as his head, and neck, fell lower. Chin soon hovering just above the ground, Yuna took that as cue enough. As blindly confident as she ever was, she allowed her hand to drag lightly across the top of his head, up above his eyes and across the giant horns as she slowly walked up along beside him. Gripping the great protrusions, she used them for support as she easily stepped up onto his wide neck. Once there, she crawled her way up to the nook behind his head, able to wrap her arms around one of the tall spikes sticking up above her head. Comfortable, and still able to sense both his moods and pleasure, she allowed her legs to lie to one side before she finally glanced to her friends.

They were still waiting where she'd left them, all of them equally stunned by what she'd just done. Smiling still, she beckoned them over, wordlessly assuring them that everything was okay. Everything was under control.

At first, they didn't so much as move, but soon enough Auron's sense of urgency and logic allowed his feet to push on. Face set in stoic firmness, he marched in, the three left behind watching him for only a few seconds before they rushed to catch up. Soon enough they were all directly before Leviathan, Auron's lips pursing as he stared at the aeon, now up close and personal.

Blue eyes finally opening again, Leviathan looking directly at them, his head swinging around slightly to get a better look. Blinking, he watched, Auron staring back evenly for a few moments before finally turning away. Jaw tense, he followed Yuna without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Taking up position around the spike behind her, he took a deep breath and pretended to be comfortable.

Seeing Auron succeed without suffering any kind of consequences, the others took in brave breaths and followed suit. Rikku took the spike behind Auron, Lulu sitting between Wakka and the one he'd selected behind Rikku. They all marveled at the feeling of the living beast below them, some even becoming nauseous at the thought.

All Yuna could feel, however, was gratitude and joy.

"So, what, uh… what exactly are we doing?" Rikku shouted up to Yuna, her nerves making her voice shaky. And Yuna, who'd just taken a deep breath in preparation for the same thing, focused her attention back on Leviathan.

"Will you help?" she asked again.

Slowly, carefully, the great beast lifted its head, Rikku yelping as it did. Soon they were all high, high up in the air, even Yuna taking hold more tightly. Leviathan didn't make any moves to do anything however. Instead, it's head swung around to stare back the way they'd come, Yuna feeling the apprehension that swelled inside him.

"That woman said Zanarkand wasn't their real intention," Yuna said to him, the other listening carefully to her words. "She said she was leaving. The city should be safe now." But Leviathan couldn't quite bring himself to believe that, not entirely. Still his original reason for becoming what he was plagued him. That his whole reason for being was to protect that city.

"It's alright," Yuna made her voice as soothing as she could, the tension beneath her becoming tighter and tighter by the moment. "The city is safe." She sent as many calming thoughts his way as she could muster. "Sir Jecht and my parents are in charge of defense there," she reasoned. "Nothing will harm the city."

Yet still he feared leaving it.

"If we don't find the source of the attacks," she continued, "then they'll never end. You'll be… killed… eventually, and then it will only be a matter of time before the city falls too." Perhaps a more logical approach. "And we can't find out who's doing this without your help."

Still, he didn't move.

"Please…" Yuna tried, again pulling at the more human parts left inside of him.

And finally, despite how his eyes lingered on the direction of the city, his head swung to the other. To the cliff, where nothing but empty air waited to greet them.

Yuna felt her stomach twist.

"What are we doing?" Auron asked, his tone as calm as ever.

"We're going," Yuna replied easily.

"Going  _where_?"

She took a deep breath. "On."

And, taking that as his cue, Leviathan readied himself. Limping his way over to the edge of the cliff, he curled his great neck upwards as he looked down, those atop grabbing hold in order to stay on. His front leg gripped at the ledge, his blue eyes staring down thoughtfully.

"Um, Yunie?" Rikku's voice was even higher than usual. "Are you sure this is  _safe_?" It was bad enough they were already riding the beast; did they really have to go any further?

"Perfectly," Yuna assured, glancing back at them with a smile. Unlike her friends, her nerves didn't prick with fear. No, she was fed by Leviathan's reasoning on this point, her heart beating faster as his body tensed beneath them. She could tell that, for all the consequences becoming an aeon had brought on him, flying certainly wasn't one of them. Yuna had never been particularly afraid of heights. And now, as the beast before her took in a preparatory breath, she found she was quite liberated at the thought.

"Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod," Rikku's voice started, but as Leviathan fell over the edge, her voice was caught up in the wind, completely swept away. Her screaming as well, for that matter, and Wakka's yell. Lulu closed her eyes and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Auron? Auron held his respective spike as best he could and tried not to get motion sickness.

Yuna, eyes wide open, held tight and looked forward, her stomach falling topside as she took in the thrill of weightlessness. Because Leviathan hadn't taken to flying yet. No, they were plummeting through the air, his tail fanning out behind. They crashed through the fog, the clouds, only Yuna assured of their survival because she could sense the certainty from the aeon carrying them.

On and on they fell, gaining speed. And Yuna, who wanted to see exactly what Leviathan saw, found that her current position wasn't good enough. Still smiling, she bit her bottom lip in concentration before gracelessly scooting her way around to the front of her spike, still holding on.

"Yuna, what are you doing!" Auron yelled to her, but she ignored him.

Considering her options for only a moment, she decided that, with enough strength, if she bounded forward, she'd probably be able to catch the horns spiking off the back of his head. Not bothering to consider the plan too thoughtfully, she jumped.

For a moment, she was completely airborne. If her friends yelled out after her, she didn't hear them.

Grappling through the air, she soon had her grip on one of his horns. Legs falling upwards behind her, she dragged her body down to the base. His head was too large for her to hold both at the same time, but it didn't matter. Arms wrapped around one, she left her body to drift as she stared ahead. Into the fog, she shared her sight with the serpent.

Still, she smiled.

If Tidus could laugh in the state he was in, he might have.

Sensing a change in his demeanor however, Yuna soon realized that their fall would be coming to an end. Preparing herself along with him, she felt his whole body domino up with nerves before, with a great push, his form pulled away from the fall and shot out into the empty air.

Ready, Yuna held tight as her legs came down against his thick body. Standing straight, she held the horn as they surged forward. Tail flitting out behind him, they coursed back up through the clouds, headed due east into the broad, wide, empty nothingness.

Yuna had never felt so liberated in her life.


	8. The Location of You

None could tell how long they'd been flying for. Time in the Farplane was, if that was in fact where they still were, impossible to tell. All before them was fog, all behind them as well, and still that eerie glowing light was spread everywhere. Despite their initially exciting takeoff, Leviathan's movements had calmed to a glide, everyone aboard far more put together than they had been upon initially taking off. The wind was still strong so it was difficult to talk, but they weren't plummeting through the air anymore, which was a relief for many.

Yuna, having grown tired of standing, was currently sitting at the base of his left horn with her knees pulled up under her. Sitting as far to the front as she could, she got a wide view of what was ahead of them. Not that there was anything to report. The others remained in much the same positions they'd been in before, though not nearly as paranoid about hanging on.

It seemed they would fly forever.

Even the communication between Yuna and Leviathan had fallen on quieter times. Though he had a basic understanding of most things, Leviathan wasn't one for conversation. Yuna could hear the buzzing in his head, the way his consciousness registered the sounds around them, the differences in wind pressure, the smells in the air. But it was all very animalistic. Though she could feel the human part of him clinging to her, that was about all he had the concentration to do. Otherwise, he was all beast. As if, were he to lose that piece of his humanity, he'd be gone forever.

Hand tightening on the horn beside her, she tried to hold what little of him remained as close to her as possible.

"Hey, what's that?!" Rikku's voice strained to meet their ears, all of them peering ahead. Leviathan saw it too and, tail swishing, he soared higher up into the sky, those atop holding tightly once again. He rose high enough to get above the heavy silhouettes ahead of them, everyone looking down over the edge of the scaly aeon to get a better look. And despite the density of the fog, they were all able to deduce what floated down below them.

"Airships…" Yuna murmured to herself.

"They look kinda weird though, ya," Wakka decided, though his experience with airships was somewhat limited. He'd only seen, well, one. But these definitely didn't look like the one the Al Bhed had salvaged. Even from their distance they could see that.

Lowering himself into the fog slightly, Leviathan allowed them a better look.

"Those look… a lot bigger," Rikku decided somewhat uneasily. "Look at the way those bridges come off of them, and the extra compartments…" She narrowed her eyes. "I've seen those before, in spheres we've savaged from other ruins." Everyone turned to her then. "They were called military ships. Entire fleets of soldiers could live on them. They're basically moving combat bases." Because the closer they got to them, the bigger they realized they were. The ships dwarfed Leviathan by a fair amount, and that was saying something.

"Those are the kinds of ships Bevelle had," Rikku continued. "When they were fighting Zanarkand a thousand years ago. The Fahrenheit was a Zanarkand ship. A lot smaller and less advanced. That was part of the reason Zanarkand lost so bad…" She shook her head. "Bevelle's military was hundreds of times more advanced."

For a moment, they all continued to stare at the ships in both curiosity and concern.

"We'd better keep our distance," Auron eventually decided and, apparently agreeing, Leviathan flitted higher up into the sky, out of the way of the huge airships drifting off through the fog.

"What does this mean?" Lulu asked soon after. "If there are airships…"

"Then they must be going somewhere," Yuna decided. Turning her attention to Leviathan, she silently asked that he fly lower, without the use of words, and, careful to first clear the way of the ships, he casually began to descend, not nearly as dramatic as he had been when he'd initially dropped off the cliff.

It was strange. They'd investigated different elevations on their way through, but always there'd been nothing. Only empty clouds. Yet now, as they flew lower and lower, the fog began to thin, the passengers picking up on the scents of salt and surf. Of clear breezes and drifting fish. The ocean.

And as they finally cleared the clouds, everyone took in a shocked breath at what they saw. Their minds weren't playing tricks on them—the ocean, or an ocean, did in fact sit below them. Behind them, it seemed to drift on forever, despite the fact that they knew it didn't. It was like they'd hit some kind of marker, or flown through a portal, and were suddenly back to real life.

"Look, up there!" Rikku pointed ahead of them, their eyes twitching that way just in time to see the thin line of land coming up out of the water. And as they flew closer, it grew bigger, the airships mere dots to their right. It was apparent that they too, the ships, were headed toward the land forming out of the water, Leviathan's passengers so interested that they said nothing of the abrupt developments.

Soon they were close enough to make out parts of the land, which stretched infinitely left and right. It wasn't a beach they came upon, but a cliff side, the ocean surf rushing forth and breaking harshly at its base.

Leviathan, though attentive, didn't pay heed to these small details however. His eyes were trained beyond the cliff, to the grassy plains beyond. And as they finally approached the edge, they flew higher, getting a clear view.

The sky was the soft blue of morning, misty clouds forming at the top of the mountains miles in the distance. The landscape below was choppy and dotted in cliffs, but trees sprouted in tiny woods and hung from the steppe like giant parasites clinging for any kind of relief. Nearer the edge, and taking up miles of distance, the land evened out into waving plains of tall, green grasses and sprouting shrubs. It was a landscape unlike any they'd seen before. Wild and developed—and unmarred by Sin's presence.

A herd of wild chocobos scattered as they flew over, Leviathan's graceful form a speeding shadow through the wind echoed plains.

"The airships are disappearing behind that cliff," Lulu point out, the small dots vanishing from view as they sank behind a jutting heap of rock lining the far side of the steppe.

"Should we follow them?" Wakka asked.

"No, let's land down there by that lake," Yuna decided, pointing to a pool of shimmering water some miles to the right—just on the edge of the protruding cliffs behind which the ships had vanished. Despite how he flew on, she could tell that Leviathan was tired. Not in an exhausted way, but in the fashion of needing a rest stop before being able to continue. She quickly translated her thoughts fully to Leviathan, who didn't object and skimmed the ground swiftly for a few minutes before bee-lining toward the water.

Landing in the grass, he scared off a gathering of four-legged, prancing creatures Yuna didn't recognize, but was able to deduce were animals and not fiends. Jerking slightly as they hit the ground, Yuna waited as Leviathan lowered his head to the water before sliding off and onto the ground. Her friends followed suit, all of them a bit unstable as they adjusted to walking after having been flying for so long.

Gathering together, they silently watched as Leviathan gulped in heavy amount of water, not a care at all for how much he splashed or lost back in the lake in the process. And after having his fill, he slipped forward into the lake, a shimming snake on the surface as he swam around. He appeared quite content actually, Yuna smiling to herself before turning her attention back to her friends.

"Watching it swim around like that," Rikku frowned, "makes it look almost tame." The way it bobbed it's head, blue eyes wide and, to Yuna, innocent, really did defend what Rikku said.

"He's relaxing," Yuna shrugged. "And he  _is_  tame." She said it to herself as well as everyone, perhaps equally trying to convince them all.

"We should be more concerned with where we are than what that thing is doing," Auron decided gruffly, having long since decided that Leviathan was probably much more useful to them under Yuna's control than back at Zanarkand. "I don't even know if we're still in the farplane…" Because everything had changed so dramatically.

"Is it possible that we somehow… left?" Yuna wasn't entirely sure how to even consider the concept.

"I don't know." Lulu shook her head.

"Perhaps we should first investigate  _where_  we are before we decide  _on_   _what_  we are," Auron decided. "I want to know where those airships were going." Wakka and Rikku nodded in agreement, the group deciding to head around the lake to the jutting cliff bordering the other side. Leviathan watched them, but didn't follow, instead distracting itself with diving into the lake and disappearing, though his shadow was still evident to those who looked hard enough.

Walking up the stony grade, the group made sure to stay low as they approached the edge, unsure what would be on the other side. Crouched or on their stomachs, they were soon peering out over, even more surprised at what they saw.

"People…" Rikku murmured softly. Beyond them, the cliff dropped away to another level of the steppe. Some few miles beyond there was a large lake, and surrounding it was a camp, the airships having landed among it.

It wasn't a camp like what those from Spira were used to seeing. Resembling the borders of Zanarkand, it was cluttered machina tents, machines, and artillery. They weren't quite close enough to see the people clearly, but it was apparent that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, milling about.

"Do you think that's the base that woman spoke of?" Lulu asked, no longer paranoid at remaining hidden or keeping her voice down. At their distance and small number, they were unlikely to be seen and impossible to be heard.

"It could be," Yuna decided. Having seen what was beyond the cliff didn't answer any of their questions, however. They still didn't know where they were or even what this place was. Whether it was in the farplane or… somewhere else.

"Well, what should we do now?" Rikku asked as she plopped down on the dusty stone edge.

"I think we have to go down there," Auron decided, tone cold. "The only way to figure this whole thing out is to investigate." Ever the forward thinker, he was already coming up with the plan. Not that anyone minded. It gave them something to think about.

"It looks like a military base," Lulu started thoughtfully. "It could be risky to approach." They didn't want to be gunned down on sight.

"True," Auron agreed. "But by the looks of it, it's a camp of some sort, so if they are in some kind of conflict, they aren't expecting a direct attack. Besides," his gaze fell to the east, "those airships came by way of the ocean. If we also approach from that direction, we may be considered to be on the 'correct side' of whatever it is they're doing."

"What about…" Wakka didn't finish his question, his shoulders shrugging as he nodded his head back in the direction of Leviathan, who was once again swimming around the surface of the lake. It had a rock in its mouth, Yuna rather unclear about what exactly it was doing. It dropped it a few seconds later, seeming to wait a moment before diving in after it.

A game of some sort?

"He can't come with us," Auron easily deduced. "If that is the base that woman spoke of, the sight of Leviathan will put them on alert. He has to remain unseen." Yuna agreed, though she had the feeling Leviathan wasn't going to like being told as much. Still, it had to be done. Hunkering her way back to the lake, Yuna reached out him once again, his scaled head looking her way before he swam through the water toward her. Back up on the beach, he stood on his three legs and lowered his great head until she was resting her hand on his forehead. Those large blue eyes blinked, Yuna smiling at how much calmer he was in comparison to when they'd left. The flight had done him good, apparently.

Behind, her friends watched with some unease, but didn't object as they had in the past.

"You have to stay here," Yuna said after a few moments of silence, her voice low as Leviathan's guttural purr echoed up her arm. "It's not safe for you to be seen—not until we know what's going on down there." His purr was interrupted, Yuna sensing his rebelliousness to the idea. She quickly reacted by spurring him with logic, which made him growl slightly.

"We're only going to go down there and see where they're doing," she continued. "It's not that far and, if all goes well, we'll come back before nightfall." If night came to such a place. "Until then, stay hidden up here, alright?" He didn't want to be dismissed so, but Yuna put her foot down against his animalistic want to follow them, as she'd done with other aeons. He'd do as she said, that was, if he wanted to continue to be around her. She applied to the more human parts of him as well, hoping that perhaps some of the logic would get through.

"First he wants to kill us," Rikka muttered, "and now he doesn't want to leave us alone." Because they could all tell that he was objecting to Yuna's message.

Eventually, with what most decided was a sigh, he sank down into a laying position, his chin in the sand as his eyes lost their luster and he stared blankly ahead, as though bored already. His tail flicked in annoyance, splashing against the water, and Yuna allowed her hand to rest comfortingly on his cheek for a few seconds before giving her silent farewells and heading back up to join her friends.

"He's going to stay here," she verified. "Though he's not happy about it." They'd all assumed as much. Even without human expression, it was obvious the aeon was displeased. "He'll come looking for us if we're not back by nightfall; I couldn't convince him out of that, so we should probably get going."

"Aye aye, captain," Rikku mock saluted her, Yuna smiling shortly and grateful for the lax attitude. Though, after all they'd seen and done, it was likely to take a real challenge to faze them out of anything. Even having Leviathan around didn't seem to perturb them much anymore.

Thus, as optimistic as they could be heading into the unknown, they surveyed the area, found the easiest way down the cliff, and were on their way.

**oOo**

Getting into the camp was significantly easier than they'd all anticipated. It quickly became clear that it wasn't an attack that those busying around were defending against, but, rather, that they were preparing for something else entirely. There was no security, no guards. Anyone could walk in, though there were soldiers posted around the weapons and tents. Apart from them, it was almost as though a small town had arisen on the commerce of whatever it was they were preparing for. Small buildings had been erected as well as booths and canopies. The vendors inside sold anything from the necessary to completely off the wall objects like fine china and antiques. It was obvious that whatever place these individuals were citizens of was used to luxury, even the most common soldier walking around in fine clothes and talking jovially.

But the preparations for battle were apparent. Walking around the edges of the area where the weapons were housed, Rikku prattled on and on about how she'd never seen such advanced weaponry. Most of what she saw seemed familiar but also foreign. She couldn't place what most were used for or how they were activated. Even Auron, his lips tight, commented on how much more advanced this machina obviously was in comparison to Zanarkand's stores. It was on a totally different level.

"It's kind of irritating," Wakka started as they left the machina behind and were headed back the way they'd come. "They gettin' ready for something, but no one is talkin' about it." He was right. They'd expected to at least have overheard someone speaking about the point of all of this, but thus far they'd been out of luck. Everyone was quite preoccupied with everything  _other_  than the preparations in the camp.

"Perhaps we should just ask someone." Rikku shrugged.

"We don't want to seem suspicious," Auron scolded. "Even if they're relaxed now, they're obviously getting ready for something. Best not to draw too much attention to ourselves." Because anyone, no matter how lax, who was dealing with this kind of heavy artillery was prepared to take action if needed.

"Lulu," Yuna had long since turned her attention to the horizon, her adopted sister coming up next to her upon being called. "Does that… mountain over there," she pointed to the tallest one on the northeast horizon, "look familiar to you?" Her other friend came up upon hearing her question as well, each of them peering at it in turn.

"It… looks like Mt. Gagazet," Lulu deduced.

"That's what I was thinking," Yuna agreed. "But if that's Mt. Gagazet, then does that mean we're in the Calm Lands?" Which was a hard concept to digest. Mostly because the plains didn't look anything like the Calm Lands. Granted, if it were true, they were a considerable amount further west than when they'd been on the pilgrimage, but still—there were no signs of Sin having come and wiped everything out and destroyed the land. No signs of a final summoning at all. Rather, it was like someone had simply picked up Mt. Gagazet and stuck it somewhere else.

"How could we be in the Calm Lands?" Rikku asked with a frown. "We're still in the Farplane… aren't we?"

"It might be possible to be in both at the same time…" Auron murmured thoughtfully, everyone turning to him questioningly. Before he could elaborate however, a tussle abruptly occurring a few yards away drew their attention.

"You can't ignore me!" I woman was yelling as she was dragged through the camp by two soldiers. "My voice will be heard!" she continued to scream. "I will-"

"Go back to the city," one of the guards stated nastily as they threw her down, apparently deeming her far enough away from wherever it was she'd been making a scene. "You don't belong here."

"You can't do this!" She was up on her feet within seconds. "You're going to murder thousands of innocent people!" The soldiers had turned to walk away, her voice falling on deaf ears. "I  _will_  be heard!"

None responded. Not even those walking to and fro. Rather, she was completely ignored, her shoulders dropping as she looked around to find not a single ear turned her way. She was quite obviously disheartened, Yuna furrowing her eyebrows curiously.

"C'mon," she decided suddenly. "Now's our chance." Not giving her friends time to object, she quickly walked her way over to the woman, who had looked up at her approach with a suspiciously curious look on her face. She was wearing clothes of a manner that Yuna would describe resembled those more of Zanarkand, as did most in the area, though she did also sport what looked like a long collar decorated with symbols. Yuna didn't recognize them, but they did remind her vaguely of those used to represent Yevon back in Spira.

"Excuse me," Yuna bowed politely as she finally met up with the dark haired woman. "I don't mean to intrude, but are you alright?" She smiled shortly. "Those soldiers weren't exactly gentle."

"I'm quite alright." The woman huffed temperamentally, though it was apparent her anger was directed at the soldiers and not Yuna. "I'm used to it. They throw me out of the central tents almost every day."

"Why?" Yuna furrowed her brows curiously.

"Why? Because they don't want to hear what I have to say!" she explained passionately. "These warmongering fools are so obsessed with their weapons and their machina that they can't see reason and compassion any longer."

"Reason?" Yuna questioned innocently. "What do you mean?" She remained purposefully vague, not wanting to give away just how little she actually knew. Like Auron had said, that would be suspicious.

The woman, however, had widened her eyes hungrily, latching on to the inch Yuna had given her to speak.

"I mean the reasons why this whole camp should be packed up and the ideas it procures eradicated!" she protested despite the fact that none who listened had any apparent objections to what she had to say. "It is sheer greed that spurs them and instead of using their power for peace and productivity, they're going to use it for destruction! Just like a thousand years ago!"

"A thousand years ago?" Rikku scratched her cheek curiously.

"Yes!" The woman was getting very excited. "It's the Cycle of Souls. Don't you see? Every thousand years, the Cycle of Souls becomes unbalanced and a great calamity befalls Spira!" This took them somewhat aback. Not the calamity bit, but the mentioning of Spira. "It is inevitable and these fools are hastening its effects with their war."

"I don't understand what you mean." Yuna tried to skirt around the subject. "What calamity could possibly be upon us?"

"They have fed the people's ignorance!" she lamented. "This war will destroy all of Spira. The machina are too powerful, don't you see? They will barrel down on Zanarkand, but the strength will be too much and we'll all suffer the consequences. The balance of souls must be upheld and only destruction can bring about that consequence!"

"Zanarkand?" Lulu questioned dubiously.

"Yes, Zanarkand," she nodded. "Zanarkand, the land of wealth and prosperity! We could be like them, if only Bevelle's government would heed reason and quit this ridiculous pilgrimage. No, instead thousands, millions even, will die and Spira will be plunged into poverty and decay."

"Bevelle?" Auron interjected. "A war between Bevelle and Zanarkand?"

"A machina war, yes," she nodded. "Within the year these troops will march over the Sancist Moutains and barrage the city beyond. Oh death, so much death will follow."

"A machina war between Bevelle and Zanarkand…" Yuna was staring down at the grass as she contemplated the idea, answers slowly spelling themselves out before her.

"Yes, and all because of that no-good Al bhed leading the city!" the woman spat.

"Hey!" Rikku objected loudly.

"It's true!" the woman spun on her, ready to shout her views to anyone. "It's the Al bhed who have brought these machina to us, who have warped the government to the point where waging war seems like a good idea to all. Not out of defense, but simply to conquer that which they think they should control. The machina should be forbidden! No weapons such as these should be allowed to exist! Spira will cry! Oh, Spira will cry for it!"

"I don't get it…" Wakka bumbled.

"Machina isn't bad on its own!" Rikku defended, the words coming fast to her lips. She'd had reason to use them many times in the past, back in the days of Sin and Yevon. "It's the people who use them wrongly that are bad. Technology shouldn't be forbidden."

"It should be when all it brings is death and destruction!" the woman argued back. "There is no reason at all for it to exist! Machina such as these," she gestured toward the part of camp where the weapons were, "should be outlawed!"

Her words were all too familiar to each of them.

"What were you talking about by every thousand years a calamity strikes Spira?" Yuna tried to turn the conversation to a less controversial topic. "What does that mean?"

"It means that this war has to be stopped!" she continued to fire off. "If not, we'll all die for it!" It was clear she was too riled now to really answer the questions Yuna asked, but they'd gotten more than enough information out of her. Bowing, they took their leave, the woman shouting her beliefs after them as they retreated.

"Crazy old bat," Rikku muttered as they made their way to an empty area on the outskirts of the camp.

"She might not be as crazy as you think," Lulu interjected once they located a picnic table outside a small eatery. They had nothing to eat, but it was free range and they were left undisturbed.

"What do you mean?!" Rikku objected loudly. "Outlawing machina is the wrong way to go. We all know that-"

"I don't mean about that." Lulu waved her off. "I meant about that 'calamity' she spoke of."

"These people have no idea what's coming," Auron agreed, both Rikku and Wakka staring at him in confusion while Yuna apprehensively considered what they'd learned.

"I think it's reasonable to assume we haven't somehow been transported through time," Yuna observed based on what they'd learned from Tidus in years prior.

"No," Auron agreed. "We're still in the Farplane. Only in a different dream."

"Wait, what?" Rikku asked, quieter now that she was no longer on the topic of machina.

"The machina war between Bevelle and Zanarkand," Lulu explained. "That's what we were hearing about. To us, it happened a thousand years ago. However, here it's present day. And the calamity that woman was predicting…"

"Sin," Yuna said darkly.

"So…" Wakka scratched the back of his head. "We're in a dream that's like… what the Calm Lands were a thousand years ago?"

"Seems that way." Auron nodded. "The question, however, is why is it here and who's summoning it?" Or dreaming it, rather. "And if this is another dream, are there even more out there?" Was the farplane full of them, or is this some kind of strange anomaly?

"And, if these people are planning to go to war with Zanarkand, is there a city on the other side of the mountains?" Yuna asked. "Could there possibly be another dream Zanarkand?" It didn't seem possible, but they knew so little of the details that went into such things.

"If there is, I don't want to be here when they do start fighten,' ya." Wakka shook his head. "Already dealt with Sin once…"

"This is a dream, Wakka," Auron reasoned. "There's no guarantee that things will pan out in the same way, or pan out at all. Zanarkand never changes. Like it's caught in a limbo. It could be the same here."

"I dunno…" Rikku glanced around the camp again. "They seem pretty progressive to me." What with the weapons and all.

"Hey! You five!" Turning abruptly, they looked around and saw, much to their slumped dismay, that an armed soldier was making his way toward them, a fierce, determined look on his face. "What are you up to?!"

"What does it look like?" Rikku asked rather shortly, still sour over the machina conversation. "We're sitting here, talking." She glared up at the soldier as he stopped beside their table, his breath huffing in exertion.

"I just received a report about a disturbance not far from here with your descriptions!" He really didn't need to shout.

"Disturbance?" Yuna furrowed her brows curiously.

"Prattling on about anti-machina nonsense!" he chastised, looking more and more angry as the seconds wore on.

"That wasn't us!" Rikku defended heatedly, not wanting to be affiliated with such talk. "It was that crazy lady. All we did was ask what she was talking about. She's the one that was yelling about it, not us!"

"What are your ranks?!" he demanded to know.

"Ranks?" Wakka questioned stupidly.

"We're new recruits," Auron cut in swiftly. "We apologize if we somehow acted out of line. We've only just arrived." He cast Wakka a warning glance, cautioning him to keep his ignorance to himself.

"New recruits are to report to the west camp!" he practically yelled then, even angrier, if at all possible. "Did you not read your itinerary?!" He didn't give them the chance to answer. "Soldiers do not affiliate themselves with that dissenting rabble!" Back to the woman. "Now go to your post before you do anything else foolish!"

Standing somewhat clumsily, the group did as issued if only to avoid confrontation. Heading due west, they went on a distance before turning around to check and see if the soldier had followed them. He hadn't and, between eye rolls and shaking heads, they came to a slow stop between a few booths.

"I think we should probably get out of here," Auron decided a few seconds later. "We've learned what we can. Getting caught up in any military action would be unwise." The others all quite thoroughly agreed. It was quickly becoming apparent that it wasn't a lax view that left the camp seeming lighthearted, but arrogance. Which could be dangerous for them.

Before they could even begin thinking about heading back the way they'd come however, a great commotion drew their attention. Soldiers and merchants alike had paused to gape and gasp up at the western sky. Following their example, Yuna and her party soon spotted what was drawing everyone's focus.

"I thought you told it to stay hidden," Lulu murmured, Yuna's eyes widening as her hands went to cover her mouth. Some miles beyond, hovering above the cliff side they'd descended hours before, was the familiar shape of that flitting serpent. Sun glistening off its shimmering scales, it was like a flash against the clouds.

A flash that was flitting away and then diving back down aggressively.

"He's being attacked…" Yuna realized within moments, apprehension soon settling in on her.

"That's it!" a man a few yards away from then started loudly as he pointed up at the scene. "That's the fiend we saw this morning from the airships. They found it!"

They'd been spotted.

"The soldiers must have gone after him," Auron growled.

"He'll be okay though, right?" Rikku asked, as if unsure whether she should be concerned or not. "He can stand up to a few soldiers. He's beaten off worse." Even as she said as much, however, a bright flash of lighting seemed to flare up from the ground, nearly striking Leviathan as he flitted out of the way.

Yuna gasped.

"I wouldn't count on that," Auron verified tightly. "There's a reason, despite having summoners, that Zanarkand stood little chance against Bevelle. Facing that kind of machina power…"

It was very dangerous.

"We have to go help him," Yuna decided. "C'mon!"

"Yuna, we won't reach him in time!" Auron scolded, grabbing her by the arm as if to hold her back. "You can communicate with him. Tell him to fly away." Because, scream echoing down into the camp despite the distance, Leviathan was diving down at his attackers once again.

Seeing Auron's logic, Yuna clasped her hands together below her chin. Closing her eyes, she sent her thoughts out into the open, looking desperately for Leviathan.

It was much harder than she'd anticipated.

The spiritual air was suffocating, clogged and crowded. But not in ways that Yuna was used to navigating. When she'd been in Spira, the fayth, though numerous on Gagazet, hadn't been this overwhelming. Even when she'd been in Dream Zanarkand, she'd been able to easily sift through them. But it was different now. She could sense the presence of what she thought were likely fayth, but they felt heavy, and crowded, and unresponsive. Even as her own consciousness flitted by them, she procured no reaction. The dreamers, whatever they were, acted as though asleep.

They didn't move out of her way.

Eyebrows scrunching, she envisioned herself as a tipped arrow, surging forward toward her target and forcing her way through the congestion. Leviathan was all she could think of, the patterns in his mind pulling her in like a magnet.

She was getting close. Nearly there.

She reached out to touch him, her fingers grasping for that familiar consciousness.

Rejection was not what she'd anticipated.

Gasping, she stumbled back a step as she opened her eyes again.

"Yunie!" Rikku, as well as all her friends, crowded to her side. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"He can't hear me." She was shaking her head, still focused up on the silver needle swatting through the sky. "He's too feral. I can't reach him." He'd become beast entirely, unable to and un-wanting of her contact. He'd abandoned his humanity to fight off the threat, just as he'd done with Zanarkand. And as he'd been when Yuna had tried to heal him the first time. "He won't retreat," Yuna reasoned. "We have to go help him."

"What do you mean he's gone feral?" Lulu asked.

"The insanity," Yuna explained shortly. "The insanity that occurs when one turns into an Aeon." As Bahamut had explained had happened to Sin. "We have to help."

"If what you say is true, then it'll be dangerous for us to get involved," Auron stated firmly. "He'd attack us just as well."

"I won't leave him to die." Yuna's voice had become dark as her eyes met Auron's. "If we get closer, I might be able to break through to him." And she'd take any chance, any risk, if she could do that. Above the cliff, a few more strikes of the artificial lightning shot up into the sky, Leviathan completely on the defensive as he swished higher before diving back down for an attack that ultimately failed as he was chased again upward.

Intent on doing something whether her friends agreed or not, Yuna was just about to head off towards the cliffs, sprint the miles back the way they'd come if she had to, when there was an extreme flash of light above the cliffs. Leviathan's scream could be heard across the plains, Yuna's whole form freezing as she watched.

"Yes, they got it!" A few cheers rang out around them, Yuna watching as, still suspended, Leviathan's form was shrouded in sparking light, his once graceful body twitching erratically in the air as the shockwaves from whatever weapon was being used against him continued to pour up into the clouds.

"What kind of machina is that?" Rikku questioned a soldier standing near them, her green eyes as wide as Yuna's as she watched the terrible torture being inflicted on the aeon.

"We call em' Body Shockers," the excited soldier replied. "The current is sensitive to the natural energy created in the living system. Makes the punch ten times more powerful." And though Rikku didn't understand what any of that meant, she was fully aware of what it felt like to be electrocuted, and that if whatever weapons they were using against Leviathan were enhanced, the pain would be indescribable.

If he lived through it.

Yuna, however, was frozen with shock as she watched. There was nothing she could do, no powers of her own she could use to interfere. Instead, all she was capable of was staring, her whole body seeming to become a stagnant mass of uselessness as Leviathan was tortured out of the skies. She wasn't sure how long the attack went on for, but every second of it felt an eternity to her. She wanted to go to him, to do something, but there was no logical course of action she could take. And Yuna wasn't an illogical person. Bursting into hysterics wasn't in her make-up. Instead, isolated below, she watched.

Watched as the shockwaves finally came to a stop and Leviathan plummeted to the ground beyond the cliff.

The sky was silent.

Around her, further jests and cheers were echoing around the camp, everyone apparently thinking it great fun that such a large, intimidating "fiend" could be taken out within mere seconds. Yuna heard none of it, however. Her ears rang with the shock of it all, brain seeming to inflate into numbness as the sky's blue pulsated before her. Beyond, clouds floated lazily, an honest contradiction to the terrible torture they'd all just watched. It was heavy, and suffocating, and it wasn't until Lulu's hand gripped her shoulder that the air and light seemed to come back into the world.

"Yuna."

She blinked, turning to that velvety voice despite how her own was failing to work.

"Yuna, are you alright?" Lulu asked, concern lacing her expression. Though Yuna didn't answer, she was not alright. The paleness of her face, however, made that entirely clear to all her companions as they grouped around her. That, and that fact that, as she brushed Lulu's hold away, her hand was shaking.

She could tell by the looks on their faces that they wanted to offer some kind of comfort to her, no matter the reasoning behind her shock. And maybe they would have, but time continued to barrel on and before anyone could get a clear thought in, Leviathan's scream was heard down at the camp once again.

Whipping back around, Yuna watched, as did everyone else, as Leviathan shot back up into the air. He didn't turn to attack again however. Rather, vaulting into the clouds, he jerked himself away before plummeting down again some few miles further along the cliff.

He was trying to get away, but was too injured to go very far. Instead, he was left vulnerable, just as he'd been the day he'd collapsed outside of Zanarkand. Surging up, then falling down again, soon the serpent was beyond sight, Yuna unsure whether to be comforted that he'd gotten away or worried because he was now long beyond her reach.

But, for the time being, he was alive.

With that thought in mind, Yuna finally managed to locate her vigor once more.

"We have to go after him." She turned, fiercely now, back to her companions. Her voice low so as not to draw any unwanted attention. "If we don't, he'll be captured or killed. We have to go. Now."

"And what will we do once we find him?" Auron asked the dreaded question.

"Are you saying we should just leave him to die?!" Yuna asked, practically outraged.

"No," Auron responded civilly. "I'm asking you what we're going to do. Even if we do find him, where will we hide him? Where will he go? These Bevelle soldiers are obviously not familiar with aeons and find killing fiends a good sport. We need to have a plan."

"The plan right now is to get back up those cliffs and find Leviathan," Yuna replied strongly, her tone far more confrontational than any of them had expected. "If there's thinking to be done, it can be done on the way. But I will find him, with or without you." She knew her tone wasn't necessary, that her friends would come—that they'd all faced worse together. But she didn't have time to go over the polite way of doing things. It was bad enough that now Leviathan was lost beyond what she could see in a place she didn't know. The last thing she was worried about was what to do with him after they found him.

She couldn't afford to think of anything else but going after him. Because if she did, then the possibility of things worse began to strangle her thoughts.

He was out there and she  _would_ find him.

"Of course we'll come with you…" Rikku said somewhat sheepishly, Yuna oblivious to the way Auron's eyes had narrowed suspiciously at her behavior. There was very little, after all, that truly got her impassioned to the point of, well, saying anything that could be considered vaguely offensive. Leviathan, apparently, was one of those things.

"Ya Yuna," Wakka agreed. "We just… wanted to know what we were gettin' into."

"I'm sorry." Yuna felt some of her nerves deflate. "I didn't mean to… I don't know what we're getting into either, but Leviathan could be out there dying. Or being chased. We have to find him." She tried to apply logic to the situation. "Without him, we're stuck here." Wherever "here" was.

"I wasn't suggesting we just leave him," Auron said, Yuna turning his way. "I just prefer to know the itinerary before we jump into potential danger." He'd always been the man with the plan, after all. And the forward thinking to make sure it was accomplished. All this guessing at what they were doing, actually, was likely driving him insane.

"I know…" Yuna stared up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sir Auron." Despite her words, the determination in her eyes spoke volumes louder, Auron eventually releasing a sigh before deterring his attention to the cliffs.

"He's gone south." He pointed along the ridge. "We can either go back the way we came and then head in his direction," which required a slightly west detour, "or go southwest and hope there's a way back up onto the cliffs." None of them were familiar with the area, not like when they'd been on the pilgrimage and a few of them had travelled the roads they'd encountered. It was all chance.

"Let's go southwest first," Lulu interjected. "The cliffs get rougher the farther north they go," she was looking toward Gagazet. "There's a good chance the land will be shallower to the south." Making it easier to climb.

"We're walking then?" Rikku asked, not as though she were complaining. "They have machina here, you know. We might be able to get an airship or something."

"With what money?" Auron asked. "They don't use the same currency here as in Spira or Zanarkand." A fact they'd already established. "And I'd rather not become a wanted criminal," for stealing, "against a military like this one." Likely, being as unfamiliar with the land as they were, they wouldn't stand a chance.

"Besides, if we stay away from machina, we might draw less attention to ourselves," Lulu added, all of them wary that others could be listening in. The group that had been watching the attack had dispersed however, leaving them quite on their own. "Leviathan will probably be pursued, after all."

"Then let's go, ya," Wakka nodded to Yuna encouragingly, which brought a small smile to her face. A thankful smile. "We runnin' out of daylight."

Thus, together, with one last look at the laxly secure Bevelle camp, they headed out into the plains once again, their eyes trained on the jutting horizon before them.

**oOo**

The journey up into the cliffs was initially easier than they'd imagined it would be. Their Spira, in comparison to this one, was a broken, fractured mess. Because of Sin, natural landmarks had been destroyed, the grace of the country diminished. Dream Spira, however, had never seen such destruction. There were actual paths, dirt roads, that led into the cliffs. Though it was apparent they weren't used often—grass was encroaching on the edges—they still led the group easily from the plains and along a rather large cliff side, edging them to the south. The terrain had become rougher, trees growing up in groups along the path. Fiends were numerous, but only in the places less treaded. They came across small settlements of people occasionally, which had been somewhat surprising to the group of travellers.

For all of the logic that had stood about large groups of people and Sin, very rarely had people in Spira drifted far from where the temples and crusaders were. Yet here, there were rural farming towns, hardly made up of a dozen or so people. It seemed they weren't used to visitors. Every time the party walked through, they got stares from the farmers, and the animal herders. There was a clear divide between these more out of the way settlements and the military camp where they'd just been. Occasionally, they'd see an airship flying overhead, coming or going from the area, but the skyways weren't nearly as full as they'd been coming and going from the camp.

Poverty, too, was clear along these roads.

Farming, however, hadn't been something that was terribly prominent back where they'd come from. Sin had scared that out of them. If there had been farms, they'd been just outside larger cities, and controlled by the temples. Mostly they'd survived on fish and the foods that had grown naturally, like Besaid's fruit. This mass attempt to grow food by human hands was something they'd never seen before.

Yet still there were fiends, which required patrols to march up and down the cliff-shielded road. They carried machina guns and equipment, though it was mismatched and dirty, not like what they'd seen in the camp. And these marchers always stopped to stare at them as they walked by, baffled both by the fact that they were travelling such dangerous roads and that the weapons they used were, as far as they were concerned, lackluster (with the exception of Wakka). Like Zanarkand, it would appear the use of magic was minimal, Yuna and Lulu careful to keep their skills on the down low when they encountered fiends while others were nearby.

Yet, as the day wore on, they came across less and less of these settlements, the farms becoming smaller as the land became more wild and rocky. Jutting protrusions of stone were soon a regular sight, the road occasionally disappearing before reappearing some half a smile or so later. Until, finally, they came upon what was clearly the end.

There was a single shed-like house off to the side, a deteriorating sign reading that it was the last of civilization beyond that point. And that food and water was available if needed. However, it was clearly uninhabited and as Rikku and Wakka investigated, it became obvious that no one had been there in some time.

"Looks like we're making our own way from here on," Auron observed as they stared up at the cliffs that had run parallel to the road.

"But where are we supposed to go?" Rikku asked as she came to stand up beside Auron and Yuna. "We've been following the road up until now, but we haven't seen any sign of Leviathan." That aside, the sun was setting, meaning that getting around would be even harder. Risky even, and Yuna knew they couldn't wander without light. If they didn't find Leviathan in the next few hours, they'd have to give up until morning.

"I think we need to get higher," Auron decided as he stared up the cliff face. It was clear this area was divided into two levels, the farms being on the one below, where they'd been travelling. "If we can get up there," up the cliff, "then we might be able to get a better view of our surroundings." And maybe a sign to where they needed to go.

"There was a lower point in the cliffs about a mile back," Lulu recalled.

"The whole thing seems to be getting less and less even," Auron went on. "If we keep heading along it, we may come across another area similar to what you're mentioning." He nodded to Lulu. Because he wasn't the type that liked to backtrack anywhere.

With little more discussion on the matter, they were soon headed out into the rocky, tree-filling wilderness, keeping the side of the long cliff in their sights at all times. Within half an hour, they'd seen a break where they might be able to climb up. It wasn't going to be easy, but they hadn't anticipated that it would be. Hunkering their way through, using the grassy patches to catch their breath and the stones to heft them higher, they were eventually standing back up on the side of the cliff, the sun sinking down below the horizon to their west—below the ocean that ended somewhere out in the nothingness.

Where did the sun go? It was a vague thought that Yuna only entertained for a moment before her thoughts wandered elsewhere.

"Let's find the highest point," Auron stated once they were all securely atop the thinly grass-layered terrain. "Before we lose the light." Glancing around, it was soon decided that the slight incline some ways to their south was likely their best bet. Dispatching what few fiends formed on their way over, Yuna was soon trekking across the sandy dirt and stones to get a better view.

The wind whipped by fiercely, ripping at her hair and clothes as she approached the very edge of the cliff. Looking out over it, she scanned as much as she could take in, looking for any clues that would lead them to Leviathan.

To her left and cutting around in front of her was the lower level, then some two-hundred feet below. Beyond it, to the south and east, she could see the ocean coming up between them and a thinly outlined landmass beyond. It was too far off to make out any details. To her right, the west, the cliff gradually met the lower level, which came up to form a single parallel. It was rockier and rougher however, becoming the mountain range that stretched up and around to Gagazet.

The light, which was dimming with every second, ignited the whole scene in a vague orange glow, the spiking rocks and thin grass around them equally shadowed. It was a fierce sunset however—piercing and unforgiving. Because the light was so severe, Yuna was easily able to see the shadows in the trees to the southwest where chunks had been carved out of them. What remained of their spires were broken and splintered, an oddity in a place so otherwise without rupture.

"He went in that direction," Auron nodded as he came up beside her, his tone even as his eyes followed the path of disrupted trees and grass. It was spotty however, the effect of Leviathan's attempts to fly before plummeting. "It doesn't look like he's been pursued this far yet either." Their party was likely much faster than whatever group had shot him down in the first place. Not only had they cut straight across to the south, but they were likely smaller in number.

"It's getting dark now," Lulu mentioned as she came up on Yuna's other side. "If we're to keep going, we should map out what we can see now." Based on the landmarks they could locate. Soon, Rikku had pulled out one of the small machina Auron had said they should bring, he standing at her shoulder as she drew her finger across the screen's small surface and mapped out what laid before them. Wakka and Lulu went about taking a sphere of the landscape, so they might look back on it if they needed.

Yuna, eyes closing, took a deep breath and stretched her mind out past its boundaries once again, searching for any sign of him. Despite her efforts, she came back with nothing. Aside from the same congested feeling of souls she'd had previously, there was no activity. However, when considering how crowded it was, if Leviathan was trying to reach out to her, there was chance she wouldn't hear him. Especially if he was in any way weak or disabled.

Pulling herself back, she ignored how her heart fell, how fear momentarily dashed up her spine, and instead turned back to her friends. They'd finished what they were doing and were waiting, knowing well what she'd been concentrating on.

"Anything?" Rikku asked.

"No," Yuna shook her head, her eyes falling.

"Then let's go," Auron nodded to the west, the direction they'd have to take until the two levels of land met up, at which point they'd turn back south. They had to keep up a good pace if they wanted to get anywhere before the sun set, their legs aching some. It'd been a long time since they'd walked so.

"It's so quiet out here," Rikku eventually said as they skidded down a slight grade of stones. "Compared to the pilgrimage anyway. It's like when we were in Gagazet." Because most of their previous journey had been through the paths of people. To the temples and cities.

"This doesn't seem like the kind of place that would be easy to live in," Lulu replied. "If this area still exists in our Spira, none have gone there in quite some time either." Not even Airships flew here, the sky empty and darkening all the while.

"It's strange," Yuna interjected, deciding that perhaps she should tell them about the congested spiritual presence. "Whoever is dreaming this place up is quiet as well." Her words, which took most of them by surprise, drew all eyes her way. "When I was looking for Leviathan," she explained, "I was praying. And… there does seem to be fayth here, or something like them. They're heavy, everywhere. Like in Zanarkand." And Gagazet during her pilgrimage. "I can't locate them however, and they don't… respond to me."

"The dreamers…" Auron muttered.

"It's almost like they're asleep."

"I don't get it." Rikku furrowed her brows. "You can sense them? Like they're… near us… or something?" Because Yuna certainly hadn't been able to feel the fayth of Gagazet when she'd been in Besaid, or even the Calm Lands.

"They have to be…" Yuna shook her head. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to sense them. It's like they're… spread out everywhere. But aren't visible. If they're fayth at all." Spiritual feelings were always mysterious. Like being in a foreign realm. She couldn't claim absolute knowledge of such things.

"Visible?" Lulu asked.

"Yes." Yuna nodded. "Then again, when we were in Zanarkand, the fayth weren't visible there either. They didn't have their bodies, the statues, as they did in Spira. If we are still in the farplane, then perhaps they don't need physical forms." Because all the fayth had been imprisoned in Spira. Yet inside Dream Zanarkand, they'd materialized out of nothing. If those that were present in "Dream Spira" were the same, then perhaps they didn't have a finite location. And would only show themselves to her if prompted. But seeing as they didn't even respond when she addressed them directly…

"I wonder…" Auron started thoughtfully. "The fayth in Gagazet, Yuna," he turned to her as they walked, "did they respond to you?"

"No." She shook her head. "I could sense they were there, like now, but they didn't address me. Of course, at the time, I didn't try to get their attention."

"Braska had mentioned something similar when we'd gone through there," Auron replied. "The fayth of Gagazet, they're different from the fayth in the temples, I believe."

"Yes," Yuna nodded, her own thoughts becoming distracted as she contemplated the idea. "I remember saying that something was summoning them."

"Sin," Lulu verified. "Or, rather, Yu Yevon."

"In order to create Dream Zanarkand," Auron deduced. "The fayth in Zanarkand were what called it into existence, whereas the fayth in the temples were called upon by summoners for a different task."

"Are you suggesting that something is… calling on these fayth to summon something?" Yuna asked.

"Yu Yevon required the fayth to summon Zanarkand," Auron nodded. "Perhaps these fayth you're sensing are summoning  _this_  place."

"But it was the dead of Zanarkand, imprisoned, that summoned the city," Yuna replied in horror. "Are you suggesting that the dead of this time, of the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand, have been made into fayth in order to call this place?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Auron replied stoically. "However… that is the way it's done, is it not?"

Yuna didn't have an adequate answer, the mere idea that the dead from a thousand years ago had been called back up and imprisoned enough to make her sick. Who would do such a thing, and why? To what purpose? Or, rather, how long had this been going on?

Had this dream Spira been living on like this for the past… thousand years? Auron had said that Dream Zanarkand had remained statically the same until very recently. Was this place similar?

The idea was beyond repulsive.

"Hey, look here," Rikku shouted excitedly as they came down and around a rather large rock outcropping. Before them, the beginnings of a large extension of trees began, the edge of which was severely damaged. "He must have fallen here." It didn't take much investigating to know as much. And Yuna, as they located where they were on the map, tried to ignore how her gut wrenched at the drying blood left against the splintered trunks.

"If we stay along these trees, then we should come across the other area like this about a mile south," Rikku explained as she surveyed her crudely drawn map. "If we stay along the tree line." Thus, they continued once again, beating back the fiends they encountered along the way. Darkness was setting in, however, Yuna's stomach growing tighter and tighter with concern the farther they got with no absolute clues. They came to the spot on Rikku's map, as predicted, but from there they knew not which direction to take. Auron pointed out that the trees were splintered in the way of the southwest, which was likely the direction in which Leviathan had lifted back off. Into the trees they headed, their pace slowed considerably by the darkness.

Auron pulled small, handheld machina lanterns for them all to use, though Yuna knew it was only a matter of time before they called it a night and set up camp. Even with the light, they were soon surrounded in shadow. The sun was gone, the stars and moon hidden. They were literally walking around without any knowledge of what direction.

It wasn't safe, not in the kind of rough terrain they knew themselves to be in.

Yet Yuna said nothing. She headed the group, determined to keep going until someone verbally objected. Her tense disposition spurred her onward at a fast pace, her eyes scanning what limited view she could gather.

"Yuna, wait," Auron called out, her feet coming to an abrupt halt as she waited for the immanent decision to stop to leave his lips. She was surprised, then, when it didn't. "There's a break in the trees this way." Not as though Leviathan had caused it, but an opening, rather. "I can see moonlight." Wordlessly, they all headed toward it, not surprised when, where the trees dropped off, there was a graded cliff that led down to a small lake.

It was what Yuna saw lying in the waves, shimmering beneath the moonlight, that drew her focus.

"Leviathan," Lulu hissed, equally as shocked as the rest of them to have come across the beast. Yuna, heart beating fast, was already halfway down the grade, her friends following behind as she rushed toward the limp, bleeding body. The sand and dirt around it was stained dark, the waves that washed up dragging red back with them. It wasn't the blood, however, which was actually rather light, that spurred Yuna's panic.

It was the burns. The red, blistering, open burns. They lined his side, some so severe that the scaled skin was a black, charred mess. They stretched all up and down him, the results of the machina that had tortured him earlier that day.

Finally reaching the level, Yuna went to rush forth, to heal whatever she could, but was stopped when both Auron and Wakka grabbed her shoulders.

"The last time it was injured and you tried to heal it, it nearly killed you," Auron scolded harshly. "Do not be rash."

And despite how their words hurt, Yuna knew they were right. She'd been warned after all, that he could be dangerous. It was clear Leviathan hadn't landed atop the shallow beach on purpose. His body was strewn out carelessly, half of it submerged in the water. Mouth open, his breathing was labored, blood dripping out onto the sand. He'd passed out, likely, and might not be in control of himself when he awoke.

"I'll try and heal him while he's asleep," Yuna decided.

"Can you heal something like that?" Rikku asked in concern. "Something that big?" Because such wounds were beyond anything she'd dealt with before.

"I have to try," she reasoned. "I have to at least heal him enough that he'll live." Because if such wounds were left unattended, they'd get infected and be worse than they already were. Abruptly, Yuna wished he was human again. His previous wounds had gotten smaller when he'd been himself, which meant they likely would then. He'd bleed out faster, yes, but she'd be able to heal him much more efficiently if he were smaller.

It wasn't worth wishing for things that couldn't be, however.

Careful to remain quiet, the party approached the lame beast, weapons drawn in case it woke up. The idea of her friends fighting Leviathan caused Yuna a considerable amount of nausea, but if he did awaken and… go after them, all she could hope was that she'd be able to get him under control before something worse happened.

Dimming their machina lanterns—because the moon was bright enough here—they all watched in apprehension as Yuna located the worst of what she could reach. Gulping, she raised her hands, the familiar glow of white magic pulsating softly as she focused it in on the burn.

She should have expected that he'd feel it. Fiends, monsters, beasts, they were always alert for the smallest threat.

One eye over their shoulders.

Leviathan was awake before any of them could even register what had happened. Screaming in outrage, his body whipped fiercely into motion, none of them able to fend off his tail as he whipped it into them and sent them flying back against the stones leading down to the lake.

Wrapping in on itself, its slitted blue eyes turned to face them, mouth open and growling as it surveyed the party. Blood dripped down from its teeth, spotting the sand, and it was this view that spurred Yuna out of her daze and back to her feet.

"No, stop!" she screamed as she rushed forward, her arms wide open as Leviathan reared back, preparing to lunge. "Please!"

"Yuna!" Auron was on his feet as well. Going after her, he grabbed her around the waist and hefted her backward. "He doesn't recognize you, Yuna! Stay back!" She was struggling against his hold, her mind attempting to reach toward him. She was completely rejected, however, Leviathan screeching in outrage that she would dare even attempt such contact, his spikes flaring out as his lips curled in anger.

"Everybody, stay out of the way!" Wakka bellowed as he hefted Lulu to her feet. Rikku was up already as well, staring at Leviathan through wide-open green eyes. Her panic was apparent, the idea of having to fight such a beast obviously futile. It'd rip them all apart in seconds.

"Yuna! Stop! We have to run!" Auron was yelling as he continued to try and pull her back.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "I can get through to him!" Her struggling continued, making her and Auron's retreat nearly impossible.

Before them, Leviathan took a deep breath, preparing to dive.

"Yuna! Enough!"

" **No**!"

The rushing of air was heard as Leviathan surged down on them. Yuna saw it, the sight of bloody teeth and insane blue eyes. However, she was cast from the sight within moments, Auron throwing her harshly aside as he pulled his sword from his back.

Rolling across the stony sand, Yuna lifted her head just in time to see Leviathan's giant jaws barrel down on Auron. He blocked the onslaught as best he could with his blade, but he was too small and Leviathan too large. Flat on his back in the sand, he yelled as Leviathan was only momentarily blocked by his blade.

" **Stop**!" Yuna cried desperately, tears rushing to her eyes. Within the moment, Leviathan would have Auron—have ripped him apart.

She acted on instinct.

Reaching up, her shaking fingers found her lips, her eyes closing as she blew as hard as she could.

The ringing whistle echoed so loudly that a group of birds some ways away flitted up into the darkness.

Silence.

Continuing to blow, Yuna didn't let up until she ran out of breath. Eyes flicking back open, her trembling, shaking body hardly allowed her to focus as she took in the dreaded scene before her.

Everything was still. Wakka and Lulu stood to the side, frozen and wide-eyed. Rikku was covering her face, unable to look. Auron, still pushed harshly into the sand, was staring up at death through wide, piercing brown eyes. And Leviathan, teeth still scraping against the sword's blade, was breathing heavily as he took in that which he'd been attacking, the slits of his eyes slowing attempting to round out before snapping back into his animalistic insanity.

They all remained where they were, watching as Leviathan, Auron still at his mercy, fought inside himself. And Yuna, knowing it was now or never, closed her eyes and reached for him. There were small cracks in his shield now, his humanity trying to leak through. Rushing her own thoughts to his, she grabbed hold of such sensations and tried to pull them through, to usher him out of the insanity.

It was difficult. His instincts were strong, unyielding, and Yuna felt their strength in every effort they made to close her away.

However, enough of him had escaped for Leviathan to raise its head and take a step back. Free, Auron staggered to his feet, Rikku rushing up to him in a panic that was soon followed by Lulu and Wakka. Their attention, though, easily slipped back to Leviathan, who'd staggered back into the water and was splashing around erratically.

Yuna knew what was happening. He was fighting, her thoughts continually pressing in on his humanity while his instincts fought for dominance. She refused to let him forget, her memories striking him with every conversation they'd ever had, every moment they'd shared together. As she'd promised, she'd keep his humanity within her, Leviathan screaming as she hugged what she could locate of his true self and shielded it.

Unable to look away, the others watched as Leviathan's whole body appeared to rip at itself. Claws coming up, it tore at its own flash, still screaming as it stumbled through the water. With each strike, pyreflies flashed out into the open, the aeon's armor beginning to visibly deteriorate as its skin slowly shimmered away.

A glowing mass of souls, it was igniting the whole lake before, with a great flash, the pyreflies all surged away, as if thrown.

What was left, a single human figure silhouetted by water, fell to its knees on the shallows of the beach before heavily collapsing forward.

Lifeless.

Already on her feet, Yuna felt her heart surge in her chest as she pushed her feet forward. She rushed through the shallows to the man lying there, her hands shaking as she fell down before him. The water was trying to pull him into the lake and, grabbing him by his one arm, she dragged him further up the beach. Collapsing in the sand, she could feel the way his whole body began to convulse, shaking as she tried to decide what to do.

She was panicking however, the burns lining his whole form so much more traumatic when she turned him over and was able to recognize the charred flesh upon which they'd been placed. His eyes, they were open, but all she could see were the whites. His mouth too, dripping with blood, was beginning to foam.

He was seizing. She'd seen it before, when those on the verge of death were so shocked that the pain drove them in haste faster than she could save them.

Beyond her reach.

She didn't hear her own voice as she turned up and screamed through the tears for someone to help her. Nor did she register when two of her friends rushed forward to do so. Reaching out, Auron tried to hold him down by both his shoulder and torso, Lulu taking hold of his head so as to stop its severe thrashing.

And Yuna, only the thought of stopping the nightmare able to spur her, forced the white magic out through her hands and pushed them, through their shaking, to take hold of the wounds and sink them away. So forcefully was she allowing herself to heal that, as her own energy drained, she refused to consider caution. Instead, she tossed that all away, the memory of his blue eyes imprinted in the visions her mind forced her to see.

She didn't know that the entire clearing was glowing with the power she poured forth, her friends astounded as they watched the wounds close at a rate they'd never seen done on anyone before. And it wasn't until the light began to dim, Yuna's own consciousness wavering, that they realized just what was happening.

It was too late, however.

Eyes rolling, Yuna felt herself soon engulfed as well. Falling backward, the last thing she saw were those blue eyes.


	9. When the Soul Sleeps

It took her a long time to wake up. In the back of her mind, she knew her body was trying, but just didn't have the energy to accomplish the feat. Rather, for a few hours, she faded in and out of consciousness, finally pulling all the way through at the sound of voices. Unfamiliar voices.

Her eyes still didn't want to open, but her ears were able to take in the conversation.

"We're out here fiend hunting." It was Auron's voice. Auron, who sounded a little less severe these days, and a little more swift. "We heard rumor of a large fiend in the area and wanted to take care of it before it could get as far as the farms." A valid excuse.

"Yes, there is a large fiend in the area," whoever Auron was talking to replied. Yuna didn't recognize them. "It's not the kind of fiend that farmers should go after," he patronized. "Head back home and let the military handle this one. It's not your typical run of the mill fiend."

"Ah, I see," Auron agreed easily enough. "We'll let you handle it then." A few more words were exchanged before Yuna heard the sound of stomping feet, many, though she couldn't place the number. It had to be at least twenty—people that was—but it wasn't until their footfalls were beyond range that she finally gathered the energy to sit up. Eyes blinking open, she flinched against the light of day, her head pounding furiously.

"Yuna," Lulu was nearby, her velvet voice much preferred to some. "I thought you might be waking soon." Allowing her eyes to slowly adjust despite the pain in her temples, Yuna blearily looked around. It didn't take her long to realize she was inside one of the tents they'd brought with them, the sunlight shining in through a screen at the top. She and Lulu were the only ones there, the older woman sitting to her right and watching her with concerned brows.

"How long have I been out?" she asked groggily.

"Since the day before yesterday," Lulu replied softly, Yuna somewhat surprised to hear such news.

"That long?" she asked as she finally fully met Lulu's gaze. "Is everything alright?"

"Mostly, yes," Lulu nodded. "Nothing's happened, if that's what you mean. Except for some soldiers who just passed through. Auron got them to leave, but they're probably looking for Leviathan." Eyes abruptly wide, Yuna was on full alert.

"Where is he?" she asked hastily.

"We have him in another tent," Lulu replied. "Wakka's with him, but Yuna…" Lulu shook her head. "It isn't good."

"What do you mean?" she breathed.

"He's, well, he's healed, but…" she appeared confused. "It's like there's something inside him that just doesn't want to get better. He… he stopped breathing twice while you were out and we had to resuscitate him. Yuna, I…" She was obviously at a loss, Yuna getting to her feet rather faster than she probably should have. She swayed slightly, Lulu coming to hold her up while she took the necessary few seconds to steady herself.

As soon as she was able, she was out of the tent. Upon her leaving, both Rikku and Auron stood from where they'd been sitting around the fire pit, but she hardly paid them any mind. Instead, she let Lulu direct her to a tent on the other side of the clearing where they'd made up camp. Entering, they were followed by Rikku and Auron as well, who stayed back as Yuna approached the limp form covered in blankets at the back of the tent.

"His breathing has been getting shallow again, ya," Wakka muttered as she entered, moving away from where he'd stationed himself beside his head. "I was just about to go get you." He was looking to Lulu.

Bending down beside him, Yuna gathered as much control as she could in order to keep her fear swallowed. Reaching forward, she allowed her hands to rest against his forehead, which was, oddly, cold. No fever, but chilled to the touch. Pulling her hand back, she pursed her lips as she considered what to do.

Because she had limited time.

"He hasn't woken up at all?" she asked.

"Not once." Wakka shook his head. "Hasn't even moved, ya, other than breathing…" And sometimes that failed him. Despite how weak she felt, Yuna drew forth her white magic, willing it into her palms as she let them rest on his chest, which she'd pulled away the blankets to reveal. Closing her eyes, she searched for an injury, anything that would be causing this, but even as she set the magic through his whole body, she came back with nothing.

For all he'd been through, his body was in as good a condition as it was going to be.

"I don't understand…" Yuna murmured to herself. "What's wrong…?" Reaching back to his head again, she allowed her fingertips to rest against his temples. It was a power she'd been taught a long time ago, but one she'd never had to use. Emotional pain could be fatal as well, her eyes closing once again as she tried to search his mind for anything that would tell her how she could help him.

What she found made her pull away in shock.

"What is it?" Rikku asked anxiously.

"I don't understand," Yuna shook her head, unable to fathom what she'd felt. Or, rather, hadn't felt. "There's nothing there," she explained. "No emotion, no thoughts. This body…" her breathing became somewhat heavier as she considered the idea, "is a shell. His soul is gone."

"What?" Lulu replied, shocked. "How is that possible?"

"I don't… I don't know," Yuna replied, her voice dry. "I don't understand."

"Yuna." Auron grabbed her attention. "When you were communicating with him, while he was still Leviathan, what were you doing?"

"I was," she turned to him, so struck by what she'd just learned that she was hardly able to respond, "I was trying to… to remind him that he was human. I found the human parts of him and I tried to pull them out."

"Out of where?" Auron continued to ask, his eyes even more intent now.

"Out of… out of Leviathan…"

"Why? Do you understand this?" Lulu caught on quickly, turning her attention to Auron as the others did as well.

"I saw Yunalesca create an aeon," he replied honestly. "When she turned Jecht into the final aeon, she gave Braska very strict instructions. He was to remember the bond between him and Jecht and preserve it through the process. That was the part of Jecht that would become the fayth, even when his body became the aeon."

"I don't understand." Yuna shook her head.

"When you were trying to get through to Leviathan, you took hold of Tidus' soul and pulled it from his still living body, as Yunalesca had done to create final aeons. She pulled souls from the bodies of the guardians and placed them in an object, something on the summoner's body. I'm not sure what happened then, with Braska, but Jecht's soul was then returned to his body, giving Braska the ability to summon him into an aeon when we faced Sin."

"You think Yuna did this?" Lulu asked. "That she took his soul and unintentionally placed it inside something else?"

"I don't know." Auron shook his head. Yuna, however, her eyes searching the empty air, tried to consider what she could have done with it, if that was really what had happened.

"That's how fayth are created, right?" Rikku asked. "When a soul is taken from a still living body and put into a stone."

"Yes, but Leviathan, and final aeons, aren't like that," Auron replied. "Their souls are freed of the stone, somehow…"

"Because they use their own bodies as the holders for their souls, correct?" Lulu added. "That's what the fayth told us… I think…"

"So Tidus' soul can be… taken from his body and put into other things?" Wakka wasn't the only one that didn't understand it.

"It would appear so." Auron nodded. "However, without a soul to govern his actions, his body dies. That was probably why the other fayth were put into stones. It made them immortal even after their bodies had vanished."

"So if we don't find his soul, his body will die?" Rikku asked, once again panicked.

"I don't know, Rikku." Auron shook his head again, his previous statements only inferences. Yuna, however, was trying to calm herself in order to think straight. Closing her eyes, she took forced breaths and decided that the best way to find a lost soul was probably to pray to it. Despite how her head ached and her body waned, she forced her mind outward, a desperate attempt to search.

It took her only seconds to find what she was looking for.

She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it as soon as she'd woken up. Perhaps she'd been too distracted, or too tired, but it became quickly apparent that she hadn't placed his soul inside an object. No, she'd taken it into herself. She could feel the weight of it, heavy, in her chest and the back of her head. Abruptly, she realized that was where the ache stemmed from. And why she was so completely exhausted. It wasn't because of the healing, which she should have recovered from faster than she had, but because her body wasn't meant to hold two souls. Granted, Tidus' soul was inactive, perhaps incompatible with her body, but it was there.

It wasn't like when she'd been able to call upon aeons. No, this was much heavier. She'd used the souls of the fayth then—been a filter that brought them into life. But, at that moment, she was the stone. The holder. The literal container of another human soul.

Somehow, she had to return it to its rightful place.

"Yuna," Auron asked her once she opened her eyes again. "Do you know?"

"Yes." She nodded, her voice somewhat wisped as her hand came up to rest against her chest. "I know where he is."

"Where?" Rikku asked hastily. Yuna didn't answer. Instead, turning back to the empty body beside her, she tried to recollect how she'd felt when she'd pulled his soul from his body in the first place. Certainly putting it back would be similar.

It'd all happened by accident, however. She hadn't even realized what she'd been doing when she'd done it. She'd wanted to drag him from that place—that insanity. And she'd used her own consciousness as a shield against himself. That must have been when it'd happened. Somehow, she'd transferred the human parts of him to herself, which was why Leviathan had disappeared, leaving only the raw body behind.

But if she could act as a human shield to hold him back, then certainly she should be able to replace him as well. She just had to… let him go.

Pulling both her hands up to her chest, she stared down at his body. At his familiar blonde hair and sun kissed skin. She imagined his breath on her face, his lips on her own. She remembered that his humanity wasn't something she could simply give and take, it was something he possessed himself. Something that required the body lying before her, no matter how damaged and scarred it was.

She had to separate herself from him in order for him to become whole again.

With these thoughts in mind, she closed her eyes once more and instead of allowing her mind to reach out, she instead reached inward. She swam through her own memories of him, looking for where she would have hidden his soul in the crevices of her mind.

She'd have put him somewhere safe. Somewhere none would have been able to find him.

A secret place. Somewhere that meant something only to them.

Before her mind's eye, the lake at Macalania unfolded itself. The place where they'd first expressed to each other how they'd felt. When he'd been at his most comforting and she at her most vulnerable.

Yes, that was where he'd be.

At the lake inside her memory, she saw him there. Lying in the dirt. Reaching down for him, she touched her hand to the life there, thankful when the warmth she hadn't sensed from his body flowed all through her. His soul was still—as though asleep—but it was his. Wrapping him up in her arms, she imagined pulling him back out. Out of her memories and into reality.

She heard Rikku and Lulu gasp as she opened her eyes, her own emotions seeming to sink in relief as the glowing form of a warm, pyrefly ridden light seemingly emerged from her chest. Holding it for only a moment, she considered what to do before simply lowering it to his body and letting it go.

As if returning home, the soul easily dispersed and seemed to spread back out into its body. Glowing against his skin for only a single moment, it soon dimmed back into place, Yuna feeling even more relieved when Tidus' breathing immediately normalized, the heat returning as she laid her hand atop his head again.

"She had his soul… inside of her…?" Wakka asked, aghast. Yet none could reply, not even Yuna, because none of them could claim any knowledge on the subject. Instead, they watched as, quite like a switch had been flipped, Tidus' eyes slowly began to flutter open. He was waking up, seemingly like nothing quite so horrific as losing his soul had even happened.

Rather, parched lips parting, his blue eyes focused immediately up on Yuna.

She smiled, her own relief leaving her feeling even more exhausted than when she'd had responsibility for his very existence.

"Yuna?" he choked out, his voice rough after his body had been on the verge of death for so long.

"Hey," she replied, trying to keep the thickness from her own voice as she reached down and brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "We were really worried about you."

"What happened?" he asked.

"You…" She didn't quite know how to say it. "You lost control. Do you remember?"

"No…" he shook his head, his eyebrows coming together as if trying to. "Maybe… I don't know. I just…" His focus fell back to her. "I was with you, wasn't I?" Yuna blinked, unsure what to make of this. "I know I was with you."

"Yes, you were with me," she assured after a moment's pause. "You're alright now. You should go back to sleep—get some rest. You've been through a lot." He nodded, apparently having little fight in him on the subject. Soon enough, his eyes were closing again, all of them relieved to see that his breathing was even and regular this time.

For a few moments they watched him—because they were all quite frazzled over what had been happening—before Auron cleared his throat and turned his attention on the immediate once again.

"Yuna," he issued, his tone low so as not to wake up Tidus. "We have some things to discuss." Turning toward him, Yuna hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Casting one last look at Tidus, she was soon on her feet and following Auron out of the tent, her other friends trailing shortly behind—confident, now, that they had nothing to worry about concerning Tidus. At least for the time being.

They made their way over to the fire pit, Yuna sitting down gratefully on a large rock someone had situated there. Her other friends sat down around it as well, on logs or similar seats to her own. She waited silently, knowing exactly what was coming.

"You knew he was Leviathan," Auron stated.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku asked sulkily. She was obviously hurt over the whole thing, Wakka as well, and even Lulu was frowning more deeply than usual.

"He didn't want anyone to know," she replied despite how he'd never said as much. She'd known how he'd felt, especially since he'd continued to try and hide it from her, initially. "He knows he's dangerous and I… I don't think he wanted any of us to be around him."

"That was why he gave up being your guardian," Auron deduced.

"Yes. He was afraid he'd be unable to control himself." A fact that had been proven twice since they'd met up with him, or, rather, Leviathan. "And when I summoned him to us back up on the farplane cliffs, I convinced him that I could control him. But…"

"You can't," Auron replied.

She had no response.

"But he's human again now," Rikku offered. "Like he was in Zanarkand those few days we saw him. If he stays that way…"

"Then he's fine," Yuna assured. "But it's his choice if he wants to remain that way." Because having that kind of power at ones disposal was hard to resist. Yuna knew that very well. If becoming a monster meant he'd be able to help others, even at a distance, Yuna knew he'd turn back again.

"He became an aeon to protect Zanarkand," Lulu murmured. "I can't believe I didn't realize it was him earlier."

"I thought maybe it could be," Auron verified, "but… I didn't want to think it was true." Because he'd seen everything Leviathan had gone through the past year. The pain and suffering. And he'd been able to imagine the loneliness. He hadn't wanted that for Tidus. Yet, somehow, he'd known it couldn't have been anyone else.

"Well, I didn't have a clue." Rikku crossed her arms over her chest sourly. "He's not very nice as an aeon…" She frowned.

"He can't help it, Rikku," Yuna defended softly. "It's like the fayth said. He… goes insane with it all."

"You did manage to calm him though, some of the time," Lulu offered. "He got us here, after all." Despite how he'd objected to the idea. "Perhaps with practice, you could get better at it. Both of you."

But Yuna wasn't sure if that was a risk she wanted to take. She said as much as well, her eyes falling to Auron. "He nearly killed you…" she muttered.

"But he didn't," he replied. "You stopped him."

"I don't know how I did it…"

"Well, maybe when he wakes up, he can tell us," Lulu offered. "If he remembers." Yuna didn't respond to this, her thoughts weighed down as exhaustion seeped into her bones. Between using so much of her own energy and then dealing with holding onto Tidus' soul, she was feeling even more tired, if at all possible.

Or maybe the stress of it was getting to her. It'd been over a year, after all, since her body had endured this kind of duress.

"Yuna," Auron said her name and she glanced up to see his understanding gaze on her. "You're still fatigued. Go back to your tent." He nodded in that direction. "We'll keep watch over you until you're back to full strength. Both of you." He'd looked to the tent where Tidus was.

"He's right." Lulu's eyes softened as she reached over and laid a hand on Yuna's knee. "Go and rest. We've talked enough for now."

Knowing perfectly well that they were right, Yuna nodded before standing. Casting them one last look, she then returned to her bed, nearly asleep before she hit the padding.

She dreamed. It was strange, and rang of things she'd seen before. Perhaps it was because she was over-exhausted, or simply because she'd been tripping in and out of the spiritual, but she saw things that were both familiar and foreign.

People she didn't know yet their names echoed in her dreaming ears. As soon as she'd recognized them, they were gone. She saw herself, a version that, had her life gone differently, she might have been. Happier maybe, and without the baggage she carried.

She was searching, searching for someone. There'd been a sphere, and a man she knew she recognized, but didn't know.

A machina. It terrified her.

She'd seen it all before, she knew—a message that had been replaying in her dreams for a while now. Yet even as her eyes fluttered open once again, it was gone. The weight in the back of her head told her she'd dreamt, but the images and people had disappeared as though they'd never been.

Once again buried in the forgotten corners of her consciousness.

Sitting up fully, she was relieved to note that the heaviness of fatigue was gone, her body in near recovered condition as she stood. She was alone in her tent, the screen above her head glowing with orange. It must have been near sunset, which meant she'd probably slept through the entire day.

Standing, she paused for only a moment to straighten her hair before pushing through the holographic flap that led outside. Glancing around, she saw that her friends were all equally occupied. Lulu and Wakka were heating fish upon the fire, their concentration quite taken as they whispered to one another. Further beyond, by the same lake in which Leviathan had retreated the night before, Auron and Rikku stood, the latter holding a makeshift fishing rod in her hands.

Deciding not to disturb them, Yuna toed her way across the clearing to the tent on the other side. Slipping in, she was thankful that she'd drawn no attention. However, as her eyes fell to the figure there, she was surprised to see that he wasn't spread out on the ground, covered in blankets, as he had been previously. Rather, standing, he was dressed, the bags Yuna had hauled all the way from Zanarkand open and the contents placed accordingly on his person. He was focused on zipping his jacket as she walked in, his machina arm already attached and in working order.

"I didn't expect you'd be up already." The words fell easily from her lips, his blue eyes snapping up in surprise. "You've been through a lot…"

"I can't lie around forever," he replied somewhat gruffly as he turned his attention back down to his jacket. Yuna sensed a barrier between them however, a frown creasing her lips as she contemplated why he'd be so obviously pushing her away. Something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" she asked straight out.

He sighed, once more looking up at her as his hands fell to his sides. She didn't miss the redness that was leaking across his cheeks, or the same feeling in his gaze. His focus then fell to the holographic flap that led out into the camp, a look of complete and utter guilt falling down upon his shoulders.

"I can't go out there," he reasoned quietly, Yuna furrowing her eyebrows questioningly. "I almost killed Auron… you…"All of them, really, had it been allowed to go that far.

"Auron really doesn't seem all that torn up on the subject," Yuna tried to reassure, assuming he understood that she felt much the same. "No one holds it against you, what happened. They understand you couldn't help it."

"That makes it even worse," he admitted as he crouched down, his finger dragging across the dirt as he, once again, refused to look at her. "It's not safe for me to be so near people. I could never forgive myself if… if something happened." A situation he didn't even want to think about. The friends that were so important to him; the only family he really had…

"You're… you're no danger now," Yuna replied, unable to hide the shallowness to her argument. "So long as you're human, you're okay. And you… you really should stay this way for a while. There are Bevelle soldiers hunting for you. But if you're not Leviathan, then they won't know where to find you."

"Bevelle?" he asked, flicking his gaze again to her own.

As best she could, Yuna then explained all they'd discovered and deduced since coming upon the Bevelle camp, Tidus taking it all in with a contemplative brow. He didn't understand it any better than she or their friends did, and was able to offer no helpful ideas on what they should do about it.

"I thought I sensed something when we first flew in here," he was saying as Yuna finished telling him about feeling the "fayth" nearby. "I hadn't realized that was what it was." But it had been familiar. Like when he'd touched the fayth in Gagazet.

"I can only assume that… that something is making them call this place into existence," she replied. "As Yu Yevon did to the fayth of Zanarkand. But…" She had no answers or even hunches to offer.

"That woman from the farplane knows something," Tidus decided rather firmly. "This must be what was beyond the Edge that she and that other man were protecting."

"I was thinking that too." Yuna nodded. "This Dream though, we have no idea how big it is. If all of Spira has been called into existence, then finding anyone will be difficult."

"Searching is the only option," Tidus decided as he stood once again. "I don't like this, Yuna. Forcing the dead to dream. If all of Spira has been pulled up into existence, then that's thousands of people, millions potentially, that have been recreated." And that, if they managed to stop the dreaming, would vanish once it was over. It seemed cruel, or so the hard look on Tidus' face seemed to imply.

"Certainly…" Yuna tried to find the right words. "Certainly they won't know the difference…" Between being alive and then disappearing again.

"That's not fair, Yuna," he replied quietly, turning away from her. "That kind of attitude doesn't justify what's happening."

"I'm not saying it does," she replied, realizing she'd hit a nerve. "I just… I don't know what you want me to say…"

"There's nothing to say," he replied, oddly bitter. "We're just dreams, after all. Our world isn't real, right?"

"Tidus, that's not what I meant…"

Pause.

"I know." He sighed. "I don't even know how I feel about it sometimes." Turning back to her, he forced the stress from his face before casting her a soft smile. "It's not worth thinking about until we know more anyway."

"You'll stay with us, then?" she asked, her eyes widening as the question she'd been afraid to ask finally left her lips. She didn't mean to sound so hopeful, but, based on the slightly amused look on Tidus' face, she'd failed.

"You said it yourself that Bevelle is hunting me down." He shrugged. "It might not be so bad to be human again for a little while." Or a dream—whatever it was he actually happened to be.

"The others don't think badly of you," she assured once again as she took a few steps closer to him. Reaching out, she took his hands in hers, trying to make her voice as reassuring as possible. "They're mostly just worried about you, I think."

"Perfect…" That vaguely red tint had returned to his face. Lips tight, Yuna stood silently for a moment longer before closing the distance between them. Wrapping her arms around as much of his middle as she could, she buried her face in his chest, more relieved than she'd realized to have him at her side once again.

He returned her embrace, his lips finding her hair as he breathed in the familiar scent of her. "Thanks for bringing my stuff, by the way," he muttered. "You were really thinking ahead."

"I decided you'd need it eventually," was her muffled reply, her actions giving away the fact that she'd had every intention of reuniting with him even after he'd told her to avoid him. Perhaps he shouldn't have expected any less.

"Yuna, Tidus," Lulu's voice echoed just outside the tent. "The food's ready. Come outside." Whether they were hungry or not, the order was given. She'd been civil, apparently either having heard them or seen Yuna go inside. Odds were, they were all waiting to talk to Tidus. He had a lot to answer for.

"Don't worry," Yuna assured as she backed away, taking hold of his hand. "I'll be with you." She smiled, Tidus returning the expression shortly before the two headed outside. Their hands dropped away as they approached the fire, both unaccustomed to displaying their relationship to each other, let alone others. If they were in a relationship at all. It felt more like they were clinging to anything they could get, which didn't necessarily justify the term "relationship."

Perhaps it didn't matter so long as they were together.

"Ah, 'bout time you got up, ya!" Wakka was smiling as he came up beside Tidus, the couple having reached the fire pit. Laying his hand heavily on his shoulders, Wakka shook him around good-naturedly, Tidus cringe-smiling in response. Mostly because he was both happy to see his friends now that the truth was out, but also equally shamed by it.

"Oh, you look so much better now." Rikku was grinning broadly as well. "We were really worried about you." Her eyes snapped to the white and silver mechanical arm attached to his shoulder, her eyes widening. "Does that arm work?!" She was on her feet in seconds.

"Well, yeah," Tidus verified as she came up and shoved Wakka out of the way, who frowned at being bullied from his best friend so thoroughly. Grabbing hold of it, she yanked it up so she could get a better look before reaching forward and pinching some of the elastic skin. "Ah, Rikku!" he yelped. "I can feel that!" Quite like it was real, he pulled the makeshift replacement to his chest protectively, rubbing where Rikku had inflicted the damage.

"That's amazing," she awed through a gape. "You have to let me take it apart and see how it works."

"What? No!" he replied defensively, Yuna smiling to herself as his voice reached that affronted high pitch she'd grown used to over the course of the pilgrimage. It was gravellier though, aged slightly, but she was still thankful to hear it. "If you can't put it back together right, I don't have an arm!"

"Just who do you think you're talking to?!" Rikku asked harshly, her hands slamming to her hips.

"Don't touch it," he made perfectly clear, not caring in the least what Rikku's skill level with machina was. She glared at him in response, but it was all in good humor, which was relieving to Yuna. She didn't want Tidus to feel out of place around them, not after all they'd been through together. Though Wakka and Lulu were like her family, and Rikku actually was, they'd all grown similarly close during their previous journey. Even Auron, who was actually more like family to Tidus than anyone.

"Not even together five minutes and already acting like children," Lulu commented, though there was a partial smile on her lips, hinting at the jest behind her words. The adoration in her eyes for the group was also obvious.

"This surprises you?" Auron asked dryly, only looking up quickly to watch them before continuing on with his undecorated meal of fish.

"Harsh!" Rikku accused as she plopped back down around the fire, her eyes trained on Auron, who was next to her. "Sorry we can't all be as serious and boring as you." He didn't reply to her comment, instead appearing quite as though he was ignoring her.

Tidus, however, upon hearing the older man's gruff statement, felt his guilt spill through him all over again. Never one for really being able to hide his emotions, Yuna and Lulu took note of the change right away. Wakka, who was once again trying to engage Tidus, soon fell silent, having realized that the mood of the group had altered some. Taking a step away, he gave Tidus space as his blue eyes slowly focused on Auron, Rikku looking between them all in bewilderment.

Auron said nothing, either disregarding the change in attitude or deciding it wasn't his to address.

Tidus, though—as Yuna could very well tell—needed to bring to light what had happened if only to give himself some relief. After a few more seconds of tense silence, he finally found the courage to speak again.

"Auron." He said the older man's name with a kind of thickness Yuna had only heard from him during poignant conversations either with or about his father. "I'm sorry about what happened," he managed to get out. "I don't… I don't have any exc-"

"Forget about it, Tidus," Auron interjected, the others all listening in silently. "It's over with and no longer worth considering." The older man hadn't looked up upon speaking, but this didn't seem to insinuate any bad feelings on the matter. Rather, it appeared he wanted to breeze by the subject and move on, deeming it of little consequence. And had Yuna only met Auron, or been shallowly misunderstanding of his attitude, she might have assumed his words stemmed from cold indifference. However, she'd detected how truly concerned he'd been when Tidus had been missing and knew that he didn't want to get by the subject merely for the sake of moving on—though that was likely part of it—but also because he didn't view the attack as something Tidus had personally done and saw little point in holding a grudge for something that was easier to forgive.

She hadn't been the only one, after all, to have noticed—even during the pilgrimage—that Auron had a soft spot for the young man. When he hadn't been lecturing him or scolding him, he'd been mentoring him. More so than he had anyone. Granted, Tidus had needed the guidance from all of them, but Auron had always had a kind of patience with him that he hadn't with other people (like Rikku). It had taken Yuna nearly the entire pilgrimage to realize that, despite Auron's coldness and Tidus' knack for complaining about him, their relationship was indeed built on true trust and fondness.

Which was probably why it was so hard for Tidus to face what he'd almost done.

However, following Auron's response, nothing more was offered as apology. Tidus' blue eyes had fallen to the ground, the shame that had previously plagued his expression slowly seeping away into acceptance. Yuna wondered if, in the past as a younger person, Tidus had made mistakes and this had been Auron's choice way of parenting. That was, when the mistakes made had been accidental and caused no lasting damage. For, despite the chilly execution of the conversation, it was clear by the slumping if Tidus' shoulders that he took comfort from the response.

An exchange communicated more efficiently without words than with them.

"Uh…" Rikku was the first to break the momentary silence that had overcome the group, Tidus pulling his attention back up while Auron continued to eat without pause. "So… speaking of that…" she awkwardly continued the subject. "You're Leviathan…?" The topic they all wanted to address, but had been somewhat hesitant to ask about. Rikku, however—being as naturally outspoken as ever—managed it with little fuss.

"Uh… yeah…" Tidus replied to the awkward question, his hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head.

"How'd you do it though?" Wakka approached Tidus once again, his open expression managing to pull the subject around to a less awkward mood.

"I…" Tidus' eyes clouded somewhat, his expression once again tinted red. "I honestly don't remember." He shook his head. "Everything over the last year is… foggy…" Shame again—even as his friends stared at him in understanding. Pity even, which likely wasn't helpful. "The only reason I remember what I did last night was because I… I remember hearing you whistle." He smiled sadly, his gaze falling to Yuna. "So I knew I had to come back."

Yuna's lips tightened.

"So… do you not remember anything that's happened?" Lulu questioned, obviously concerned.

"No, it's just… jumbled, and vague sometimes. I can recall some things, but only the things Leviathan thought were important." He spoke as if the serpent were a different entity to himself. "Like distances and locations, and smells, and…" He trailed off, Yuna able to see the pain that had crossed his expression only quickly.

"So you really do become like an animal…" Rikku murmured, quite unaware of the affect her words would have.

"More like a monster," Tidus replied, his words causing Rikku to pale. Mostly because there was obvious warning in then. He was cautioning them, reiterating that what had happened with Auron, and Yuna previously, wasn't something to be taken lightly. Yuna wanted to offer some kind of objection otherwise, but none came. Because what he said did hold truth.

When he was Leviathan, he was dangerous. Which, perhaps, was the whole point.

"Well…" Wakka laughed, trying to brighten the quickly drowning atmosphere. "So long as you're you, then we got nothin' to worry about, right?" He smiled broadly, Tidus decent enough to take the ill-executed comfort for what it was worth and not how much good it would do.

"Right," he agreed, grinning back despite how fake the expression appeared to the more intuitive individuals.

"Then we should be focused on what we're doing next," Auron interjected, done with his food as he finally looked up to survey the group. Tidus and Yuna took seats around the fire, completing the circle.

"I think we should go to Bevelle," Yuna decided abruptly, everyone glancing her way. Except for Tidus, who was quite content to let plans be made around him while he reached for the cooked fish they'd left out on a makeshift platter of stone. Not to say he couldn't lead, but he knew when his insight was needed and when it wasn't.

"Why?" Rikku asked in distaste.

"Because it's the nearest city." At least to their knowledge, or so Yuna reasoned. "Besides, we don't know how big this Dream Spira is, so we should investigate."

"It does seem like the most logical place to go," Lulu agreed, seeing as it was both the closest metropolitan area and obviously a dominant power. "If we're going to search for that woman as well," the one they'd met up on the farplane cliffs, "then we should start where there's the most people."

"How are we even going to find her?" Rikku asked. "We don't have any leads."

"Sitting around here isn't going to help," Auron interjected. "Besides, we need to know how far this dream stretches. If we know that, then perhaps we can narrow down our search."

"What about Zanarkand, then?" Rikku asked, Tidus managing to look up from his food. "Those Bevelle soldiers in the camp said they were going to war with them. Do you think there's another dream Zanarkand up there?"

"I find that hard to believe," Tidus mentioned after a single swallow. "If this really is a dream, then it's the souls of the dead that have to be dreaming it, right?" Somehow, even if the details eluded the group. "Those of Zanarkand are back the way we came. And since the dream is made up of memories, who would be left to remember Zanarkand?" At least, during the time period that had been recreated. Perhaps there were some that might be able to do it, but it seemed like their numbers would be too low to actually create a full dream. Mostly because the Dream Zanarkand where they'd come from originally was so entirely complete, the number of citizens who hadn't been forced to summon the dream couldn't logically be very high.

"So those Bevelle soldiers are preparing to fight a battle against something that's not even there?" Rikku asked with a frown.

"As far as their memories serve, it's there," Auron replied. "Those that lived in Bevelle during the time of the Machina War remember that there was a Zanarkand, which is all the dreams know to think. At least, at the moment."

"So…" Rikku crossed her arms over her chest, "I guess I'm trying to figure out how this whole dream thing works. Do they just… pop up out of nowhere or…?"

"I don't really know." Tidus shook his head, supposing he the only one who could answer. Him and Auron anyway, if Auron really was a dream at that point. "I remember my childhood, and Auron was there." He'd watched him grow up. "So Zanarkand wasn't completely static." It wasn't as though he was born as a young man. Auron's presence proved that.

"It's hard to say though," Auron interjected. "Tidus and Jecht were obviously singled out by the fayth to come to Spira." At one point or another. "What the dream was like before that I can't really say. Whether it was static or if Jecht and Tidus are the result of dreams living like normal people for a thousand years, and are thus not the product of the original creation. Only the fayth could know that." Whether Tidus had been born a dream as a baby or created as a child.

It was somewhat strange to him really, discussing his own existence. It was different for Auron. He'd been real, lived life as a person on Spira. He knew where he came from, his transformation into a dream, if, again, that was really what he was, merely part of his journey. Tidus, however, had always been a dream. Yet, oddly enough, he found that the fact wasn't overly bothersome to him. He didn't need proof that he was who he was and not the result of someone else's memory. Maybe it was because he'd been to Spira and touched Sin, as the fayth had said. He'd become something more.

He remembered pondering the notion back before they'd defeated Sin—trying to understand it. He'd come to realize that it wasn't some kind of literal change that made him more than a dream. It was the fact that he'd stepped out of his fixed, pre-designed world and learned realities that those of Zanarkand had never had to fathom. Yes, they understood death and birth, and the technical details of what it meant to be alive, but they hadn't seen Spira's suffering, or destruction, or ever been threatened by war. They knew only the life Yu Yevon had created for them—a Zanarkand without the summoners and powerful magic it'd possessed in the real past, and without strife and conflict. They'd been secluded, knowing nothing outside their own perfect city.

That was how he and his father were different, were something more. They didn't exist just inside the dream. There were people in the real world that knew of them, had met them, shared experiences with them. Even if the dream faded, they'd be remembered somewhere by someone. In that way, they were more. Not total victims to the fate of the ones who did the dreaming. Even after they disappeared, their presence would remain. Which was perhaps why Tidus didn't have some sort of identity complex. He'd grown up with Auron, who was a variable unexpected in the dream world. And had come to Spira, changing more as a person and learning more than he'd ever thought imaginable in the short time he'd been there. Whoever had dreamed him up, whoever he'd been inspired by, he wasn't that person anymore. The original path his predecessor had followed had been broken as soon as Auron had entered his world. Even if there was a dead man to whom his identity had been inherently related, it was safe to say he'd deviated from whatever path that life had taken. The fayth didn't address him now as a dream, but as a person.

Because he knew what it was like to live.

"You think it's impossible then that Zanarkand could be up over Mt. Gagazet?" Lulu asked him directly.

"As far as I can tell, it wouldn't make any sense." He shrugged.

"I guess the question is whether we feel it necessary to investigate or not," Auron deduced.

"We have no idea where this woman could be or what she's after," Lulu reiterated. "If there does happen to be a Zanarkand here as well, by not investigating it, we're leaving out a very large area."

"She could also be anywhere else," Rikku added, which wasn't helpful no matter how true, and obvious, it was.

"Not only that, but we have to consider the political state of affairs here," Tidus added, such talk coming from his mouth taking a few of the others by surprise. He ignored their wondering looks, however. "The Spira where you guys come from is a united front," he reasoned. "Here, Zanarkand and Bevelle are enemies, and Mt. Gagazet, as well as a huge mountain range, is in-between." A mountain range that wasn't so large in their world. Sin probably had something to do with that. "Firstly, the roads, if there are any, aren't going to be well-traveled. I don't know much about airships personally, but it seems more logical to fly than walk. Even if we could get an airship though, the borders between the two cities are going to be controlled, and that includes air traffic. It's not going to be easy to simply fly through. Sure, we flew around Spira fine, but there was no one to stop us. Even back in my Zanarkand, there are strict rules and regulations on who can go where, how fast, and in what vehicle. Bevelle won't be any different, and will probably be more strict where the military is concerned."

"I'm impressed," Auron joked. "I didn't expect such an insightful deduction from you."

Tidus glared at him. "Thanks." Sure, he'd grown up in a place without conflict, but perhaps that was why he saw these things more clearly than the rest of them. Spira had known nothing but fighting together against a common cause. Even prejudices against the Al bhed were overcome where Sin was concerned. All of them had grown up that way, in a world where, even when differences were many, the people could come together without too much fuss if they truly had to. The fact that they'd gotten the entirety of Spira to sing for them spoke volumes on that.

Tidus imagined that not all peoples worked together so fluently. War was evidence enough.

"So do we think that investigating Zanarkand is worth the trouble or should we set our sights elsewhere?" Lulu kept them on track.

"I think we should investigate elsewhere," Yuna interjected. "We don't know how big this dream is and if what Tidus says is true, it might be easier to first go south." Because none of them really wanted to hike over Gagazet again. Especially if the path was going to be even more formidable. "We have no leads, so it really makes no difference where we go first."

"But I don't want to go to Bevelle," Rikku whined childishly.

"Why?" Lulu asked sharply. "It's not a Yevon city here. It's one of the great machina cities, and led by an Al bhed apparently. I thought you'd be excited to go."

"I'll never be excited to go to Bevelle…" she sulked.

"We'll backtrack to the Calm Lands then." Auron was becoming an expert at disregarding Rikku. "Or whatever the place is called here."

"And then south to Bevelle." Wakka finally entered the conversation, quite content to state the obvious.

"We leave tomorrow morning," Auron added, seeing as there was only some few hours of daylight left. Somewhat more settled now that they'd decided on an objective, everyone was able to comfortably return to dinner—those who hadn't eaten anyway. There were some moments of silence until, Yuna once again noticing a rather preoccupied look to his face, Tidus began to speak again.

"Hey, guys…" He sounded hesitant, which really wasn't like him. Yet it was the second time since he'd come back to himself that he'd approached them as such, thus they all focused in on him immediately. "I, uh…" He glanced down at his hands, Yuna feeling her concern for him rise at the somewhat torn look etched into his eyes. "I just… I'm glad that," his gaze flicked up to them, "that you're all here."

Maybe it was a strange thing to say, but the thickness in his voice made it obvious to everyone exactly what he was implying, Yuna feeling her own heart constrict as she considered it.

He'd been fighting alone the whole time they'd been separated. There'd been no one to look out for him, no one to care. It was a scary thought really, and a reality they could all understand. Because it was the loneliness that everyone who'd lived in a world with Sin understood.

Tidus had lost both his parents at a young age, as had most of them. He'd then come to Spira and found a new family, only to have them ripped away too. For the first time, some of them really understood how much they meant to him, Wakka managing a comforting grin as he once again dropped his arm over Tidus' shoulders and shook him. Mostly because he found Tidus' sensitivity, no matter how justified, rather uncomfortable (which wasn't new for Wakka).

"'Course we're here," he offered with a laugh, his ability to turn the attitude more positive showing as the others offered Tidus encouraging smiles. Even Auron nodded. "Someone's got to deal with this mess." Tidus grinned as well, Yuna reaching out and allowing her hand to rest on his knee for a few moments before returning to her fish.

Around them, the sun continued to set, the silence of the landscape calming even to those whose thoughts were most reckless.

**oOo**

"Ugh, we should just take an airship!" Rikku drawled, the late afternoon sun pounding upon on them as they made their way down the decline leading back into the plains that would eventually come to be known as the Calm Lands. They were on the edge, deciding that it would be wisest to find the coast and follow it around to where Bevelle had been located in their Spira. Hopefully Dream Bevelle would be much the same. High up on the cliffs, they could see the waves smashing against the rocks hundreds of feet below. Beyond, the ocean was restless.

"It doesn't matter how many times you say that, none of us are going to magically have enough money to afford one," Auron said through gritted teeth, quite on his last nerve with the girl. It wasn't like they hadn't walked across Spira once before. "You've gone soft," he added.

"What do you mean 'soft?'" She bounded up next to him, quite in a huff. "There's nothing wrong with appreciating convenience, okay? We're the only people crazy enough to walk anywhere in this world, you know! We haven't seen a single stranger all day."

"All the better," Auron rebuked. "If no one sees us, then no one needs to know we're here." Which was true. If the woman or that mysterious Shuyin individual knew they'd made it this far, they'd likely come after them.

"Just think of it like old times," Tidus offered her, his hands pulled up behind his head, Brotherhood strapped to his back. "The pilgrimage all over again, only backwards." And without the whole Yuna dying bit, but that hardly needed to be brought up. "And without Kimahri." He furrowed his eyebrows then, turning to Yuna, who was walking beside him. Wakka and Lulu were on either side of them, Rikku and Auron up ahead. "I'm surprised Kimahri didn't come with you."

"He's the elder for the ronso now," Yuna replied. "I think he would have come, had we known what we were getting into, but, initially, all we were doing was investigating the Farplane. I didn't see any reason to get him involved." She frowned. "I hope he's not too worried."

"I'm sure all of  _Spira_  is worried," Lulu added. "The High Summoner and her legendary guardians have disappeared. The whole world, I'm sure, is in an uproar." Her words rang of bitterness however, Tidus casting her an inquiring grin, which caused her to sigh. "Let's just say people don't know how to mind their own business."

Catching on, Wakka took up the explanation. "People been coming to Besaid from all over Spira to interview Yuna lately. At first, people stayed away, you know, respect and all that, but they seemed to have forgotten that bit. Bah! Always askin' all kinds of nosy questions!"

"About what?" Tidus asked curiously.

"The pilgrimage," Rikku was walking backward now, explaining. "You and Yunie mostly."

"Me?" He could understand Yuna, but what did anyone want to know about him for?

"Oh yeah," Rikku nodded. "People got it in their heads that you and Yunie were, you know, together," Tidus furrowed his brows, "and it made you as popular as her. Something about 'young love ending in tragedy.'"

"What?" Tidus laughed, not at all bothered that his and Yuna's relationship was being blatantly talked about. Yuna blushed some, not saying anything, but Tidus handled it far better. A majority of the reason he kept his distance from her in "public" was because he could tell it made her uncomfortable. He didn't have a preference either way, really, about displaying affection in front of others. It didn't bother him, but Yuna had always been private, so he'd respect that.

"It's true, ya," Wakka nodded. "People got obsessed with it. Gonna build a statue of you and Yuna like they did Yunalesca and Zaon." Tidus gaped then before, quite uncontrollably, bursting into laughter. "I'm serious!" Wakka was grinning as well however, having also always found it amusing. "They been hunting for pictures and spheres of you and everything!"

"I don't quite see what's so funny." Yuna was frowning as Tidus finally got control of himself. "It's not like you weren't one of my guardians or something. You  _are_  considered a legendary guardian just like everyone else. They talked about making statues of us all." A detail Wakka had left out, though it had only been a passing idea.

"I guess I just find it… weird." Tidus shrugged. "I dunno. I never set out to be a 'legendary guardian' I guess. It just sort of… happened."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit." Lulu chuckled lightly to herself. "Between Yuna's unyielding determination and your choices to disregard every rule we lived by, we managed to finally eradicate Sin." In other words, had he not been there to object to everything they'd done, things might have turned out differently.

"Is that an insult or a compliment, Lulu?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Take it however you want."

"Hey guys, look, look!" Rikku was standing on the edge of the cliff, Auron coming up behind her and pulling her back slightly as she pointed out across the sea. "Look over there!" Coming up beside her, the group glanced out across the water. Miles and miles out, they could see a thin line of land, the slight protrusions dotting its surface too sharp to be natural.

"That must be the city," Auron deduced. They were still a ways away however. The cliff continued on for quite a while, likely leading them around the bend in the land that would take them to the city. Unless they decided to travel into the night, they wouldn't reach it till the afternoon of the following day.

"It really must be a great city if we can see if from here," Lulu murmured.

"I  _am_  kind of excited to see it," Rikku admitted sheepishly, Lulu giving her an "I told you so" look as they picked back up on their previous pace. They were forced to pause a second later, taken aback by the scene developing before them.

So much for not running into any other people.

"Should we help her?" Yuna asked as they watched the lone woman attempt to take on a smallish fiend some ways down the cliff side. Likely she'd come from somewhere further into the plains, which was why they were only just then running into her. Holding a long staff of some sort in her hand, she remained undaunted by the fiend despite the trouble she was having. And Tidus, who was never one to not help, soon pulled his sword from his back before jumping forward. Running up on one of the taller rocks sticking out of the rough terrain, he threw himself into the air above the fiend before skillfully coming down and slicing it into pyreflies.

His actions took the woman so by surprise that she fell backward with a gasp and landed back first in the grass, her staff bouncing down beside her.

"Sorry." Tidus laughed as he approached her. Holding out his hand, he pulled her back to her feet as the others slowly came up behind him. Looking somewhat dazed, the young woman bent down and fumbled for her staff, her eyes continually flicking back up to Tidus.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked as she came up beside him. The woman couldn't have been much older than Yuna herself, her long brown hair loose and falling just above her hips. She had an open face, big brown eyes, and heavy, beaded earrings hanging down on her shoulders. Dressed in blue with a black skirt and brown boots, she didn't exactly look like the wild, travelling type.

"Uh, yes, thank you." She bowed quickly, finally seeming to pull herself together. Still, her gaze kept flicking to Tidus. Perhaps his sneak attack really had thrown her for a loop. "You surprised me," she admitted, a pretty smile breaking across her face. "I wasn't expecting to run into anyone else out here."

"Why are you out here all alone?" Rikku asked, her eyebrows pulling together in concern as her head cocked to the side. "It's dangerous."

"I'm going to Bevelle," she replied.

"Oh, us too!" Rikku grinned happily.

"Really?" Her smile widened more, portraying her friendly disposition. "I really am surprised. Normally no one walks the distance."

"Well, we're-"

"We're fiend hunters," Auron interjected before Rikku could give away more than what needed to be said. "There was a large fiend sighted west of here." The woman's expression seemed to falter then, her smile vanishing.

"You didn't catch it… did you?" she asked, Auron furrowing his eyebrows at her odd tone of voice. Almost as though she were concerned.

"No," he verified, Tidus remaining purposefully silent. "It's gotten away."

"Oh." Her hand went to her chest, a blatantly relieved smile making its way back onto her face. A few of the group looked between each other curiously, though they didn't question. And the woman, who was intuitive enough to notice the stares, quickly cleared her throat and tried to move on. "I'm sorry, pardon me," she begged their attention once more. "My name is Lenne. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed her head respectfully.

"I'm Rikku!" The blonde raised her hand up in her typical welcome before going on to introduce the rest of them. Auron was, by far, the most unappreciative of Rikku's inviting attitude. The rest of them, however, had little issue with having come across the woman.

"If you're going to Bevelle," Tidus followed up after Rikku, "you might as well come along with us. Maybe then you won't have to worry about that fiend issue again." His hands went up to twine behind his head, his own warm disposition combined with Rikku's doing well to overcome Auron's lack of such. "We're all going along in the same direction anyway."

"Yes, why don't you come with us?" Yuna bowed her head in invitation as well.

"I… I suppose I could." She was clearly surprised. "If you're fiend hunters though, I swear I won't be a hindrance." For they must all excel in battle if so. "I'm perfectly capable of fighting, I assure you." She returned her attention to Tidus, who grinned at her allusion to what he'd done previously.

"The more the merrier, ya," Wakka assured.

"You okay with that Auron?" Rikku turned to him.

"I suppose I have little choice in the matter," he replied in his typical cold fashion, none of the others at all affected by his attitude, which did good in assuring Lenne.

"Why are you going to Bevelle?" Rikku asked as they began their walk once more, her attentive personality taking her right up beside the newcomer.

"I'm actually only passing through," she explained. "I'm on my to Remiem." And Rikku, because she really did lack all subtly, gave her a clearly questioning look. Auron, had he been the type, might have face-palmed himself. Before any real damage could be done, however, Lulu swooped in.

"Forgive her," Lulu said evenly. "She's a real country bumpkin. Doesn't know much past the end of her own nose."

Rikku was clearly offended.

"I see." Lenne laughed. "Remiem is a city-state to the east, on the far coast to the other side of the Lo Mountains."

"Really?" Rikku kept on as she'd been, deciding to play to the supposed ignorance. And, for once, Auron was glad to see her act the part. "That must be a hard trip. Why don't you take an airship or something?"

"I, well," Lenne laughed a little awkwardly, "airship passage is very expensive between city-states." She didn't elaborate further, both Lulu and Auron, as well as Tidus, getting the idea that she wasn't telling the entire truth. "No need to worry," she assured. "I'm meeting up with some… friends in Bevelle, so we'll continue the journey together."

Wanting to change the subject, she questioned them next. "Why do you all make the trip to Bevelle?"

"We're looking for someone," Yuna replied honestly as she came up on Lenne's other side. "Can you tell us," she was trying to find the best way to word her question without potentially sounding strange, but ultimately decided there was really no way, "if there are summoners in Bevelle?"

The reaction she got was what she'd been afraid of.

"Summoners?" Lenne asked in obvious surprise. "In Bevelle? N-no, I would imagine not." She shook her head hastily, eyes falling to the ground.

"I see." Yuna nodded, not entirely sure what to make of how she'd reacted.

"If I were you," Lenne looked up to her again, "I would refrain from asking anyone else such a question." Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. "Those in Bevelle do not take kindly to summoners."

"Really?" Tidus was surprised. "Why?"

Auron supposed that pretending they knew anything was quite out of the question at that point.

"Well, because," Lenne glanced back at him as though she were replying to a ridiculous question, "summoners come from Zanarkand." And Zanarkand was at war with Bevelle, which explained the sensitivity.

"There aren't any summoners in Bevelle?" Yuna asked, quite shocked.

"No." Lenne shook her head. "There are no summoners anywhere else in Spira. Except for Zanarkand." Abruptly, a few of them were wondering if perhaps they should have gone north instead of south. "At least, there shouldn't be…"

"What do you mean?" Yuna continued.

"Summoning is a… a sacred art taught only to the citizens in Zanarkand. The knowledge of it is lost to the rest of Spira." Which was somewhat of a curiosity to Tidus. He'd come from the Dream Zanarkand and known nothing of summoners. When Yu Yevon had called upon the fayth to summon it, he must have made sure to leave out such potentially powerful wisdom.

"And no one from outside of Zanarkand has ever journeyed north to learn?" Yuna just couldn't wrap her head around the idea that summoners had existed in so select a location. Not when they'd been so depended upon where she'd come from.

The look Lenne gave her seemed to spell out that they'd finally said too much. She paused to stare at them, to survey them all. Her eyes fell to their weapons, their clothing, before her lips tightened in discomfort. Auron didn't like it.

"We're sorry if we've said something out of the ordinary." Lulu tried to patch up the situation. "We're not from around-"

"Do not go advertising such things," Lenne cut her off shortly, taking them all aback. "I don't know how you managed to get… here, but if anyone finds out that you're all from Zanarkand, they'll have you killed immediately." This assumption on her part was also surprising to them, but gave them an outlet to ask more questions.

"We're sorry." Yuna bowed her head.

"The citizens of Bevelle are very superstitious about such things," Lenne continued. "They hear talk of such and you'll be arrested. Magic too, for that matter. They don't understand it and have no desire to. So do not bring it up." She was clearly warning them, which caused Auron's own suspicion to stir.

"Why do you warn us then?" he asked coldly. "If such things should not be spoken or known, how do you claim such knowledge?" Because the fact that she was able to explain the source of summoners insinuated that she knew more than a commoner of Bevelle.

"I, too, am from Zanarkand," she bowed, doing the familiar prayer that Tidus recognized as the sign for victory in blitzball. The same one used on the real Spira. "And I feel I need to warn others like me to be careful."

It occurred to Tidus then that, though she spoke of Zanarkand, they were from two very different cities. A dream like her, one outside of the Dream Zanarkand, would have knowledge of the city different than his own. She would remember the Zanarkand that had actually existed on Spira, not the manipulated version in which he'd been raised. Somehow, it made him feel even more disconnected from her, not the other way around.

"I see," Yuna replied with the same prayer, the motion striking them all with a feeling of déjà vu. It wasn't pleasant. "We apologize for our ignorance. We'll be more careful from now on."

"You came from the west," Lenne said then. "You saw the fiend there? The one all the soldiers are looking for?" So she'd actually seen Leviathan. Perhaps she'd been in the camp, or near it, at the same time they had been. "Were you truly hunting it?"

"No." Yuna shook her head. "We were looking for it, but not to hunt it."

"You know what it is, then?" Lenne asked excitedly, seeming to warm back up to them now that she thought she'd figured out the truth. "Did you find the summoner that had called it? And their partner? Are they alright?"

"The… the summoner that called it?" Tidus asked. "N-no." he was even more interested then. "We… lost track of it."

"That's a relief," she breathed. "If so great an aeon was never found, then the summoner must have dismissed it. When I first saw it, I was truly grieving for the one who was fool enough to call it. I nearly went looking for it myself." So she knew what Leviathan had been then? How? What had given it away? Those were the questions Tidus asked himself. "I'd… rarely seen an aeon so great."

"Truly?" Yuna asked. "I, too, thought it to be quite abnormally… great," because there were few ways to actually describe what Leviathan was.

"You know of summoning?" Lenne asked.

"I… I know a little." Yuna nodded, unsure how much of her knowledge would actually translate to how summoning had been done in the past. "I was… in training, before I left."

"Really?" Lenne's eyes got big, a small smile creeping across her lips again. "How far were you into your lessons? Based on your age, you must have been nearly done. Had you chosen your partner yet?" She was clearly  _much_  more interested now, though she did glance around as though looking out for anyone outside them who might overhear.

"My… partner?" Yuna had no idea what she was talking about. "No, I had not."

"I see." Lenne's shoulders dropped. "Once you make your decision, I'm sure you'll be successful. I can see it in your eyes. You've seen and learned much, I think."

She had no idea.

"You seem to be rather well-versed in the intimacies of such things," Auron cut in, eyeing her pointedly and saying no more on the subject. Lenne visibly shrank under his sharp scrutiny, like a blue flower suddenly overcome by a shadow.

"I worked in a temple," she explained after a moment. "Back in Zanarkand." And despite the fact that this meant little to nothing to them—because they knew not what temples had been used for in Zanarkand—they all took her words as though they understood. Because to ask further, if they were to pretend to be citizens of Zanarkand, would be to give themselves away.

"It's a good thing we met you then, huh," Rikku sliced through the thick atmosphere happily. "Turns out we have a lot in common." Lenne smiled some, appearing as though she might have wanted to say something more. However, she was clearly holding herself back, her eyes once again flicking to Tidus before she focused back on Rikku. Despite what they'd discussed, there was still distrust between them. Neither was being completely honest, that was obvious to both parties. Still, they continued on together, the conversation falling to less heavy topics as they fought their way across the plains. Lenne did comment once on their ability to use magic, specifically Lulu, but the fact that they had utilized it made her less shy to do so as well, her skill with such powers proving to be far more fruitful than her physical prowess.

She showed to be a helpful asset, the group far less hesitant around her when they finally decided to stop for camp about an hour before sunset. So long as they stayed further from serious topics, then having her around was no large burden. Thus, after they'd set up, Lulu and Wakka went about cooking dinner—as had become per the usual—using the dried and easily sustainable food they'd brought with them. Auron headed out to gather more firewood, Rikku bouncing after him. And Tidus, who had been putting up tents with Yuna (no great effort, really), found his curiosity getting the better of him. Wandering away, he was soon approaching Lenne, who'd posted herself on the edge of the cliff once it'd been made clear there was nothing else she could do.

Yuna, who'd expected to spend the evening at Tidus' side, watched him head across the grass toward the newcomer. Part of her was spurred to follow, but, thinking better of it, she took up a position on the other side of the fire from Wakka and Lulu, her ears trained back toward Lenne and Tidus. Unfortunately, none of their conversation was audible and she felt rather ashamed that she'd tried to listen in to begin with.

"Careful or you'll fall off," Tidus was saying as he approached her. Looking over her shoulder, Lenne smiled quickly at him, her legs dangling high up over the water.

"I'm not too worried about it," she assured easily. Turning back, her eyes fell to the sunset, which was far softer than it had been the night before. Back up in the cliffs, it'd had a much more aggressive disposition.

"For being out here all alone, you don't seem to be worried about much of anything," he replied as he plopped down beside her, some foot and a half between them. Much like her, he wasn't concerned with the cliff, his legs dangling in a similar manner to hers as his reference to her previous journeying fell between them.

"I think concern should always be justified," she replied simply. "I've… seen enough to know that there's little for me to be worried about out here."

"You and me both," he replied with a knowing sigh, his thoughts travelling momentarily back to the beginning days of the pilgrimage when he'd known so little. About the world; about life. It abruptly seemed like such a long time ago.

Leaning back on her hands, she stared at him for a moment, seeming contemplative. And Tidus, returning her look, raised his eyebrows questioningly, finally addressing something he'd noticed since they'd first met.

"You stare at me a lot," he stated honestly. "Why?" He'd wondered, quickly, if she could tell. If, somehow, he was giving away Leviathan. It made him paranoid.

"You…" she looked away quickly, "remind me of someone."

Not what he'd been expecting. "Oh." He glanced back out to sea, unable to form a response to the sadness in her voice.

"You look a lot like him." She nodded, almost more to herself than to him. "I'm sorry if it came off as strange. I was just surprised is all."

"You sound sad," he observed, looking back at her. She'd already turned her attention back to him, a bitter smile soon falling down upon her lips.

"Maybe," she verified. "He… he died, a long time ago." Her hand came up to caress the bridge of her nose, as though she could rub away a headache.

"Funny how this seems to happen to me," he replied. "Reminding people of those they've lost." He recalled the Chappu episode. "I'm sorry if it bothers you. You don't seem old enough for 'a long time ago' to be a legitimate idea."

She laughed shortly before shaking her head. "It doesn't bother me." She finally turned a genuine smile his way. "I'm happy you look so much like him. It reminds me to remember him." And the way she said as much, taking a sad situation and turning it into something to be happy about, reminded Tidus greatly of Yuna.

"You remind me of someone too," he verified honestly, her eyebrows becoming curious. "Yuna." He nodded back to her with a slight laugh.

"Mmm." She nodded. "I see the way you look at her."

"That obvious, huh?" He laughed. "Yeah, it's no great secret." Which seemed to take her by surprise. Though Tidus couldn't understand why. She didn't know any of them so a relationship between some shouldn't shock. Because of such reasoning, he mentioned as much.

"I just assumed she was… alone," she explained. "When she said she didn't have a partner, that is." A reference to their conversation about summoning.

"Uh, well." Tidus tried to find an appropriate way to respond. Thankfully, Lenne continued on before he had to.

"I can understand being hesitant, however," she clarified quietly. "The choice to become a summoner affects more than one person. Sometimes I… wonder if I made the right choice."

"You were going to become a summoner?" he asked, not that entirely astounded.

"I… did become one," she admitted. "But I was irresponsible and lost my partner. Sometimes I wish I hadn't gone through with it. Maybe then we'd… still be together." Tidus frowned, once again feeling a kind of familiar connection with what she said, though more in reference to Yuna. Abruptly, he wanted to get up and go back to her, but realized that doing as much would probably be considered rude.

"I'm sorry," he replied honestly.

"Don't be." She managed to pull some of that happiness forward again, smiling. "You had nothing to do with it. And… it was a long time ago. I have other things to focus on now. Seeing you though, it was nice. Thinking about him again." Because she'd spent so much time trying to avoid the subject.

And Tidus, sensing that the conversation was coming to an end, reached out and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. They exchanged simple, tight smiles, his hand resting for a few moments before he stood. Nodding to her once, he took his moment to retreat, his feet taking him directly to Yuna.

He didn't notice the way Lenne watched him go.

Instead, relaxed enough to finally take joy in being around Yuna again, he smiled as he rounded the spot in the grass where she was sitting. Plopping down beside her, he leaned back on his elbows and crossed his ankles, his head falling back to look up at her. She was sitting with her knees folded up, her hand reaching out to stroke his hair as he closed his eyes.

"What were you two talking about?" she asked, making quite sure her voice echoed only of curiosity. Beyond them, Wakka and Lulu glanced up at the two only quickly, focusing once again on their task and giving the couple the space they knew, from experience, they probably wanted.

"Nothing really," he replied. "Though she did tell me that she actually  _was_  a summoner once." This caused Yuna's eyebrows to rise in slight surprise, but Tidus couldn't see as much, not with his eyes still closed. "But that her… partner died and so she's not now?" He supposed it was fine to relay the information. Lenne hadn't taken any issue with telling him, after all. When Yuna didn't respond right away, however, he finally cracked open his gaze. She was staring off to the side, a serious look on her face. "What?"

"This whole 'partner' thing," she started. "I've been thinking about it all afternoon." Tidus tried to remain focused and not become sidetracked by the way her fingers were messaging his scalp. "When we finally reached Zanarkand back during the pilgrimage, Lady Yunalesca said that the final aeon required a bond between summoner and guardian to create. The process required two people."

"You think that the same kind of thing is how everyone in Zanarkand used to summon?" He could easily follow her train of thought.

"Lenne said that summoning was an art that only the citizens of Zanarkand knew," she reasoned. "When Sin came, the fayth started being used in a different way and Lady Yunalesca was the only one with knowledge of the final summoning. She was the only summoner from Zanarkand that made it out alive before Sin destroyed the city."

"So then…" Tidus' eyes narrowed, "any summoner in Zanarkand would have had a final aeon, not multiple like what you had?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, finally meeting his gaze again. "I suppose I could ask Lenne, but I don't want to give away that we're not actually from her Zanarkand."

"But I thought the power of the final aeon killed the summoner?" Tidus recalled.

"I don't… actually know if it was the final aeon that killed the summoner or if it was Yu Yevon after he possessed it. I suppose we could ask Sir Auron. He might know." Because, if it had always been the aeon _after_  it'd been possessed by Yu Yevon that killed the summoner—thus making it possible to take complete control of the aeon—then that changed one of the details she'd been taught to expect from the final summoning. What if it wasn't a  _final_  summoning at all? What if it was an age-old tradition passed down from Zanarkand that Yunalesca chose to teach only the select few that were experienced enough to take on the burden? By everyone in Spira, it'd been viewed as an extraordinary accomplishment, but to the people of Zanarkand, it may have been what was expected. A test one had to pass to actually become a summoner.

Thinking about it that way, Yuna felt even bitterer toward Yunalesca. If the summoners of Spira had possessed such knowledge, such power, could they have found a way to stop Sin sooner? Even with Yu Yevon being capable of possessing aeons, certainly a fleet of summoners with the power of the final summoning would have been able to destroy him before things had deteriorated the way they eventually had.

Even then, after having abandoned Yevon long before, she was figuring out that more of what she'd thought she knew was a lie. At least, potentially.

"Yuna?" Tidus' questioning voice pulled her from her thoughts, a soft smile pulling at her lips as she focused back down on him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she nodded, coming back around entirely to their conversation. "I was just considering what it all meant. I'll remember to ask Sir Auron if he was there when our fathers fought Sin directly. Certainly if Yu Yevon had possessed my father's final aeon before killing him, he'd have seen a sign of it."

"Yeah, if he wants to tell us anything at all." Tidus rolled his eyes. "I swear he gets a kick out of being cryptic."

Yuna laughed lightly. "I think he used to be like that because he knew so much more than we did about the truth. Now that we're all equally aware, I think he'll be more likely to help on the subject, if he can. Besides," she glanced over as both Rikku and Auron came up over the grassy hill, firewood in their hands, "he seems different now than he used to be."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too," Tidus observed with furrowed brows, his eyes also following Yuna's gaze. "I remember when I first met him back in Zanarkand. He was always so…" The word he wanted to use was "dead," but that hardly seemed acceptable.

"I know what you mean," Yuna agreed. "I think being brought back has made him feel… alive… again, you know? I can't claim to understand what it's like being an unsent, but the only reason such people can take proper form is because they're bound to the world by some inherent feeling or desire. They stay until they fulfill that or are sent. If Sir Auron stayed around only because he felt he had to satisfy something like that, I'd imagine considering anything else would be very difficult."

"What do you mean?" Because Tidus could tell by the tone of her voice that she was insinuating something else.

"I'm not saying that he didn't feel friendship for us as an unsent," she explained, "but I think now it's more like he can… act on it. He reminds me much more of the Auron we saw in the memories of Zanarkand than the one that journeyed with us. Like he's more… human." He'd always been so focused during the pilgrimage, so determined to get to the end. It hadn't been until they'd learned the truth about Jecht, and seen his memories, that Yuna had realized it hadn't been for her benefit that he'd rushed. Auron had died with so many unfulfilled promises. To both his friends and himself. Sworn to look after both Tidus and Yuna; determined to avenge Braska; desperate to save Jecht. Those had been his motives, and why he'd been unable to go to the Farplane. Only when Jecht had finally been laid to rest, the last of his vows fulfilled, had he been able to fade.

Really, when considering how often his words had encouraged them, pushed them on, Yuna found it somewhat ironic that he really hadn't cared at all about Spira anymore. Maybe, had he been alive, he would have, but his entire focus had been on those few things that had kept him in their world.

Currently, he was free of those chains. He was as good as alive again, his ability to see the world past his own personal promises restored. Though he had his memories of being dead, of his second pilgrimage, he wasn't that exact same person. Rather, he seemed more mixed. As though he felt he should be that dead-man-walking, but was torn by the influence of his younger image.

"Now answer me this." Tidus had sat up, his thigh against Yuna's knees as he leaned in to speak to her more closely. "Am I the only one that's noticed how those two have been acting?" Because Rikku and Auron were now within some twenty feet of the camp and might overhear.

"No, you're not," Lulu answered his question before Yuna could, the knowing glint to her eyes telling Tidus all he needed to know. Yuna nodded once in agreement, a tight, girly smile pulling against her lips. Tidus returned the look skeptically, somewhat struck by the idea that Rikku and Auron could possibly grow to tolerate each other, let alone anything else. Sure they'd fought well enough alongside each other during the pilgrimage, but that hadn't meant they were "friends."

"Rikku is attached to his hip constantly," Yuna muttered just before the two joined the camp. It was one of those situations, though, that made it completely clear to the newcomers that they'd just been being talked about. The heavy silence and lack of conversation made that blatantly obvious.

"What?" Auron asked coldly as he dropped the firewood he'd found beside the pit. Rikku didn't seem nearly so sensitive to the atmosphere however, dropping off her own load before distracting herself with sticking her finger into the sphere of soup Lulu was controlling with the water magic at her disposal.

"Nothing," Tidus shrugged far too innocently, refusing to meet Auron's gaze. Being the type to not care for such things, Auron sighed after a few seconds and took a seat rather away from either of the two groups already seated. And Rikku, after being swatted away by Wakka, huffed and made her way back over to him. Sitting down as well, she retained a good amount of space between herself and Auron, but not enough to somehow eliminate the idea that she'd plopped down beside him on purpose.

Tidus found it to be incredibly weird.

"Lenne!" Wakka called a few seconds later. "The food's ready!" Answering accordingly, she stood and made her way over, smiling gratefully as she took a seat across from Auron and Rikku. Soon bowls were being passed around, which Wakka had skillfully and quickly crafted out of leaves. Like on the pilgrimage, the habit had easily come back to him. They weren't hearty or re-usable by any means, but did well for what they needed and didn't have to be carried around later.

Lenne was quite astounded by it actually, the others taking the soup Lulu passed around without a second thought to what they were eating out of. Upon seeing the way Lenne was examining the bowl, Lulu paused, the soup hovering near Lenne's head until she realized it was there and held out the bowl hastily. With a skillful drop, the soup landed easily inside the leaves, the rest of them either drinking it or using the leaf-spoons Wakka had made alongside the bowls.

"I've never seen something like this before," Lenne finally stated as she took the oddly stiff leaf-spoon and placed it in her bowl. "How is the liquid staying inside?" The others had glanced up at her question, Wakka smiling broadly at being pseudo-complimented on his handiwork.

"It's all in the weave," he replied. "And the thickness of the leaves." They'd had a considerable more difficult time being able to eat when they'd been in places like Gagazet or the Thunder Plains (though they'd had the travel agency at the latter). Usually they'd either ended up eating things dry or finding suitable rocks to use as dishes.

"Don't wait too long to eat though," Rikku piped in. "The heat does get through eventually." Because Rikku had also once been equally impressed and had waited so long examining the bowl that the soup had soaked through, beginning to drip away. Nodding in understanding, Lenne soon went about her meal as well, the group once more falling into light conversation as the day waned.

The contentment, despite their agenda, was felt by all. The easy progress of the day was something they wished would continue, but knew, one way or another, couldn't last forever.

The dawn always came.


	10. To Summon the Dead

To say that Lenne found the group of travellers rather odd was a bit of an understatement. The longer she trekked with them, the more apparent it became. Initially, she hadn't really taken note of their eccentricities—she'd seen enough of the world to bypass most such qualities. However, with time came contemplation, her brain slowly but surly beginning to register how entirely odd they really were.

For one, the way they grouped up. It was quite apparent that their formation while travelling was habit. And not habit in the sense of military training or even logical fiend defenses. Rather, it struck her as though they'd travelled as such prior, and for a longer distance. Which told her they hadn't just recently begun their journeying.

The whole thing seemed to revolve around the brunette, Yuna. She was the center. On either side of her, Wakka and Lulu could generally be found. Not directly, but in the general vicinity of the definition of "beside." Auron was always point, leading them on, while the two blondes hovered back and forth. In different ways, however. Tidus seemed to ping-pong back and forth between all of them, though generally Yuna was still his center and where he always returned to—as though tethered. The Al bhed, on the other hand, gave herself free reign, hovering mostly on the outskirts of the group. Based on the clear lines of the formation, actually, Lenne would almost assume that there had once been another to their party who had kept up the rear. It was the only area generally lacking, and where she'd come to place herself most of the time.

It was strange to her, such a protective ring around one person. It made her even more curious about Yuna, and who she was to be so clearly guarded. It was apparent the group had plenty of experience being her protectors, but their motives for doing so were utterly lost on Lenne.

That aside, their was also the race variable. The world in which they travelled was clearly defined. Certain people belonged in certain places. Not that it was odd to see different sorts of people in different parts of the world, but never travelling together like this. In a rural, comfortable way. Rather, most who travelled between city-states did so for business, not pleasure. That these people, all of them so different, were claiming to come from Zanarkand was utterly ridiculous. Clearly, however, they didn't realize as much.

The only one of them, actually, that Lenne might have believed was actually from Zanarkand was Tidus. With his smaller build (though he was clearly very muscular), tanned skin, and softer features, he was the poster-boy for claiming Northern descent, much like herself. The others, however, raised questions.

Auron and Lulu, with their dark hair, light skin, warm eyes, and thicker builds, were obviously of Baen ancestry. More the type to be seen to the southeast in Baaj. Yuna, on the other hand, was more centralized. Pale with mid-toned features, she was the kind one would see more predominantly in Bevelle or even as far south as Djose. Other than her one green eye, of course, which told Lenne that she was what some would call a half-breed—part one kind and part another. In this case, Al bhed. Which brought her to Rikku. The Al bhed generally populated the islands to the west, though their influence had been drifting over to the mainland over the last few decades (an Al Bhed was leading Bevelle, after all). They could also be found further south in places like Luca, or even with the islanders. Which was what Wakka had to be. Built huge with dark skin and bright hair, he had to be from somewhere like Besaid or Kilika. That, and the accent gave him away as well. Yet they all got along and travelled together as though it were no big deal. Some were even in relationships. Not that Lenne had a problem with such, but generally it wouldn't have been accepted. A down-water islander with a prim and proper Baen woman? Or even a Zanarkand native with a woman who was clearly from somewhere south of the Sancist Mountains?

And yet Lenne found herself caught on one little hiccup. Yuna claimed to have been going through summoner training. But Lenne had rarely seen a summoner with such pale, central features. In the Zanarkand she knew, someone like her would have been turned away at the temple doors, not even allowed to fathom the idea. Unless she'd been able to prove her lineage, as High Priestess Yunalesca had. Born of a man from Zanarkand and a woman from Remiem, her pale, snowy features had been ignored in favor of her summoning gifts.

It was all very strange.

Yet she dared not ask. It was clear to everyone that she was hiding just as much from them as they were from her. She just found it so beyond social norms to see such a group together, and knowing each other so well. Crossing race barriers as if they weren't even there. Granted, there were exceptions—people born with features unlike those of their home, but not so many together in one place.

She'd never seen such cooperation before. Or consideration. She had half a mind to warn them, whoever they were, that they'd likely get some weird looks if they weren't careful. Not that such a troupe together was enough to draw hostile attention, but it was certainly stare-worthy. Warning them, however, would give away the fact that she didn't believe their Zanarkand story. Seeing as they had nearly reached Bevelle, she had no desire to rupture the subject.

Whatever it was they were hiding, it was none of her business.

Thus, her thoughts were kept to herself, her acquaintances completely unaware of her suspicions. Rather, some of them were quite bored, Rikku sighing for about the billionth time as she came up behind Auron. He'd already told her to leave him alone once, but there was hardly anything to do. This close to the city, fiends were scarce, and she didn't want to keep bothering the "couples" of their group.

"So…." Auron sighed as she began speaking.

"What do you want Rikku?" he asked somewhat shortly, not even giving her the chance to voice whatever question she hadn't come up with yet that she was going to ask him.

"I'm bored," she whined, pouting some.

"Then go talk to someone else," he grumbled.

"I can't," she replied, sounding defeated. "Wakka and Lulu are whispering to each other, and Tidus and Yunie are acting stupid." And she'd already talked to Lenne, though it was hard to find things to discuss when they were hiding so much from the newcomer. Her last comment did manage to pull a slight brow furrow out of Auron however, Rikku noticing it right away and deciding it was invitation enough to continue. "I guess they're kind of cute," she glanced back at them over her shoulder, "but neither of them will talk to me when they're doing that silly, silent, barely-touching-each-other flirting thing they do."

Auron didn't satisfy her with a response, Rikku fully aware of how he felt about the fact that Yuna and Tidus weren't making attempts to quell the feelings they had for one another.

"I am kinda jealous though." She sighed, turning to face forward once again as they headed up the shallow grade leading around to where they hoped Bevelle would be. "Wakka and Lulu have each other; Tidus and Yunie. Seeing them always together makes me wonder when I'll find someone." She kicked a stone.

Auron had no idea why she was telling him this.

"I always wanted to get married early," she continued, her mood rising suddenly as she smiled at the thought. "You know, and then have  _lots_  of kids! So they'd  _all_  have brothers and sisters."

"You act like it'll never happen," he mentioned coldly.

"Sometimes I don't think that it will." She shrugged. "Keep having to go on adventures instead." She actually sounded bitter, Auron getting some humor out of it despite the way he shook his head.

"You'll get your chance," he decided.

"I just want to be as happy as they are…"

"They're not happy," he replied, referencing Yuna and Tidus specifically. "Don't wish for that."

"Sure they are!" Rikku countered. "Just because you're not happy doesn't mean no one else can be."

"That's not what I'm saying and you know it."

"You're right, I know exactly what you're saying." She was serious all of a sudden, a side of her that rarely showed its face since the pilgrimage. "And I also know that you're wrong. I'm not an idiot, you know. I understand that Tidus and Yunie don't look like they have much of a happy ending right now, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy what little time they do have together."

"That will only make it more painful."

"You don't know that." She was practically accusing. "Nothing is set in stone. Maybe they'll find a way to stay together." Yet even as she said it, she knew she herself doubted such an outcome. She was determined to remain hopeful however, for their sakes.

And for Auron's sake too.

"Rikku, though we be in a dream, it is best to stay grounded in reality." The fall was softer that way. He'd learned that much over the course of the rather strange life he'd led. His advice was met with resistance, of course. Not that he was particularly surprised.

"Don't patronize me," she issued, Auron once again finding himself rather surprised by the gravity of her tone. Enough, in fact, for him to look at her out of the corners of his eyes. "I didn't ask for your advice. I've seen just as much as you have you know. Just as much death, and lost just as many people close to me. Maybe you've lived a little longer, but that doesn't make you any wiser.

"So don't patronize me. Just don't. Even if you don't take me seriously, you can at least treat me like the equal I am." She stared him down, since he'd turned his head to face her completely halfway through her speech. Her green eyes were burning, daring him to rebuke her words. Auron, however, merely turned away again, once more hunkering forward.

"Hey!" Rikku yelled after him. "Not even going to say anything?! You're so mean!" She stomped after him, naturally. "Don't just ignore me! I'm going to make sure you-"

"Rikku," he said her name, simple and quiet as always.

"What?!"

"Look," and he gestured forward, out over the hill they'd seemed to have been climbing for the last hour. Despite how she wanted to continue to berate him, Rikku was forced to look to where he'd directed, her eyes popping wide at what she saw.

She was speechless.

Before them stood Bevelle, seeming to fold out across the valley below. It wasn't anything like Zanarkand, the only other machina city any of them had ever seen. The buildings—the ones that stretched up toward the clouds—were pointed and severe, seeming to jut up from the ground like the shining blades of daggers, tiny windows ignited all along them and visible even in the broad light of the afternoon. Cars whipped through the air between them, small specks at their distance. Like a web, smaller, shorter buildings crept out from around the taller ones, stretching into the vale like arms grasping for leverage. To the west and east, the ocean were the borders, the grand city acting as a gate between them and the land beyond. Not that the group could see said land. The city pushed on for miles, the pointed skyscrapers fading beyond their line of sight.

"Wow…" The rest of their group was soon upon them, Wakka gaping as he took in the sight. He wasn't the only one to respond with similarly awed words. Even Tidus' eyes bugged, as Zanarkand was the only machina city he too had ever seen. Bevelle wasn't considered equally as impressive for nothing—and they quickly understood why a city like Zanarkand had been so thoroughly challenged.

However, it resembled nothing of the Bevelle in their Spira, all of them able to infer that sometime between the machina war and their time, it had been decimated by Sin. Transformed from this huge, severe metropolis into Yevon's haven, which was hardly a fraction the size of what was before them.

"You've never seen Bevelle before?" Lenne asked as she spotted their shocked expressions.

"No." Yuna shook her head, still quite awed by the sight. No wonder Lenne had referred to the cities as city- _states_. Had every machina city in Spira been like this?

"How are we supposed to find anyone in a place like that, ya?" Wakka asked breathlessly. Because, quite frankly, they hadn't anticipated that there'd be a city to rival Zanarkand. It'd always been referred to as the great machina city, as if there'd been nothing else to compare.

A falsity, as it turned out.

"If you have their name, you should be able to look them up in the city registry," Lenne offered, attempting to help. Auron agreed with her, covering for their slip-up, though he too was considering the same predicament. The population in Dream Spira was much higher than the Spira from which they reigned. How would they ever locate anyone? Especially since they didn't even have her name?

"Let's go, let's go!" Rikku issued as soon as she recovered her voice, her excitement beginning to spill over as she smiled at them all gleefully. "C'mon!" Her machina addiction was getting the better of her, the others not nearly so apt to move on now that they'd seen what they were up against. Well, with the exception of Tidus, who, though impressed, didn't feel quite one way or the other on the scene.

"Rikku, wait." Auron had reached out to her, the blonde having been on her way down the hill and headed to the city. It didn't take the others long to realize what had drawn his attention. Before them, walking up through the grass, were two women. It was clear that they were aimed at their group, their strides direct and pointed.

Lenne, however, didn't appear at all perturbed by the approach. Rather, confident, she separated from her newfound companions, hasty to meet the women that were still about a quarter mile beyond. Looking around at each other only quickly, the group silently agreed to follow, their nods exhibiting as much before they began to trudge across the grass after her.

It wasn't until they were beginning to be able to make out the facial features of the strangers that Yuna felt her breath pause. Blinking, she furrowed her brows, quite convinced that what she was seeing had to be false. One of the women, the shorter of the two, she could have sworn she recognized. However, the idea was obviously preposterous and, determined that it wasn't true, Yuna tried to logically view the situation.

Yet, ever the closer they came, the more convinced Yuna found she was that the approaching woman was someone she'd met before. Glancing up at Tidus quickly, who was at her side, she caught his eye, a similar look to her own on his face. With a single finger, he gestured forward, validating that Yuna wasn't the only one who recognized the woman.

They didn't have time to discuss the phenomenon however. Lenne had already reached them and was bowing respectfully, her hands forming the prayer she'd used with Yuna earlier. They did the same, implying that they, too, like Lenne, were familiar with customs that had originated in Zanarkand.

Or Spira, Yuna thought. But, to be frank, no matter how she considered the situation, she didn't understand how it could be possible. Certainly an unsent she'd met in Spira wouldn't have been old enough to be dreamed up here. Not one that had died trying to defeat Sin anyway. It didn't make any sense.

"We're glad we've finally met up with you," the stranger Yuna  _didn't_  recognize was saying as the group came up behind Lenne. Upon coming into view, the oddly familiar woman looked around at them, her eyes initially narrowed before becoming suddenly wide.

It had to be her. Yuna couldn't doubt it then.  _She'd_  recognized  _them_.

Completely bypassing Lenne, much to both her and the other woman's surprise, she approached Yuna directly before bowing low and performing one of the select more formal bows all summoners had been taught. Taught, that was, when addressing those above themselves.

"Lady Belgemine," Yuna stated in shock, only remembering to bow accordingly when her old teacher rose again. She performed the simple, traditional bow, aware that, as a defeater of Sin, she was then of a higher consideration than the other summoner. It would be even ruder were she to address Belgemine as higher than herself—as though she were belittling the older woman.

"High Summoner Yuna," Belgemine addressed correctly, her raspy voice the same as Yuna remembered those many times they'd met along her road to Zanarkand. She was still the same rounded, intimidating figure she'd been then, though she'd shed her robes for attire more expected of their current location. A bow, however, was tied blatantly around both her wrists, her brown hair pulled up in tight buns on either side of her head.

"I don't understand," Yuna said, her guardians listening just as intently to the conversation. "How are you here?"

"I was thinking to ask you the same thing, Lady," she replied. "I dread to think that something has happened to you to bring you here."

"I still don't…" Yuna shook her head, both Lenne and the other woman, the latter also wearing a bow, turning their attention to the abrupt conversation. It was then that Yuna took note of the thin, black bows tied around each of Lenne's arms as well.

"As this is the Farplane, I would assume that the only way you could have come here was if you and your guardians," she nodded to them, "somehow perished upon Spira. A truly great loss after the peace you've brought the people." She bowed again, Lenne and the other woman's eyes going wide as they focused in on Yuna entirely.

"We're not dead," Rikku piped in. "We came in  _through_  the Farplane." Well, except for Tidus and Auron, but that didn't seem worth mentioning at the moment.

Belgemine, looking only quickly to Rikku before going back to Yuna, furrowed her brows even more.

"What she says is true." Yuna nodded. "The Farplane in Spira has become unstable and we were called upon to investigate. When we stepped through the portal, we were brought here." Not the entire truth, but it got the point across.

"Then you are not mere memories, as we are."

"Belgemine!" the other strange woman addressed her harshly. "How dare you speak so freely of things to those outside our ranks! You will be-"

"Silence!" Belgemine snapped, turning back to the woman who had gaped in surprise. "You dare disrespect the Highest Summoner, Lady Yuna, Final Defeater of Sin? It is you who will be punished for your insolence." This was clearly enough to shock both the other woman  _and_  Lenne, the latter gaping as her brown eyes widened. She looked directly to Yuna, quite too shocked to mind her manners.

"You're High Summoner Yuna?" she gasped. " _The_  High Summoner Yuna?" She'd gone pale, her brown eyes blinking as she digested the development. Yuna nodded once, unable to deny her identity any longer, and Lenne seemed to fidget before dropping down on a single knee and doing one of the most elaborate bows Yuna had ever been taught. Following suit, despite her scolding, the other woman did the same, Yuna feeling rather uncomfortable about the whole thing.

"How is it  _you're_  here?" Auron asked, ignoring the other two and addressing Belgemine directly.

"How is it that I couldn't be?" she asked. "We're in the Farplane, where the souls of the dead reside. Is it not natural that I should be here?"

"But this is a dream, isn't it?" Yuna asked, abruptly aware that they'd merely been assuming as much up until that point.

"Yes,  _this_  is," Belgemine accented their surroundings. "You are correct in that deduction. However, that doesn't stop me from walking upon it, or any of the dead strong enough to pull their memories together."

"Then you're not part of the dream?" Lulu asked.

"No." She shook her head. Silence fell over them then, a small group of individuals who'd left the city approaching them and passing by without alarm. It was apparent by how Belgemine watched them that what was discussed wasn't to be overheard.

"If I could, Lady, I would ask that you and your guardians come into the city with us, to the safety of our rooms so I might explain the situation to you further." She bowed once more, Yuna having half a mind to ask that she stop. "It is not safe for the dreams to overhear what I feel I must tell you."

"Why  _must_  you tell me?" Yuna asked quickly.

"Because you are the Highest Summoner," she replied. "And, as such, are the most respected of our ranks. Your presence here cannot be ignored. Surely, if you've come all this way, then you have motives in investigating this dream phenomenon?"

"So it's  _not_  usually here," Yuna said quietly and Belgemine shook her head. "Of course." Yuna bowed her head slightly. "We will hear what you have to say. Lead the way." Thus, despite how completely out of the blue their meeting was, the group was soon headed back the way Belgemine and her companion had come.

**oOo**

"It's not, by far, the best accommodations in the city," Belgemine was saying as they filed into the small room—an apartment that was being rented on the northern outskirts of town. "It suits our purposes, however."

Yuna wasn't the least bit offended by the plainness, or the chipping paint. Or even the somewhat worn furniture. She'd travelled in far less luxury, a fact that Belgemine likely knew and was why she wasn't apologizing profusely, as someone who didn't know any better might have. She, too, had embarked on a pilgrimage at one time, no matter how badly it may have ended.

"Please, sit down," Belgemine gestured to the chairs in the main part of the room, her words polite despite the forcefulness in her tone. She then turned to both Lenne and the other woman—her name was Meeren, as they'd learned—and issued that they go to the kitchen and get together whatever was available as far as food and drink. Yuna wanted to stop them, to be considerate of their obviously lackluster lifestyle, but then thought better of it. Her group had been living off of dried remains and fish since they'd arrived. Such limited provisions would wear them down if they didn't take advantage of higher-grade food when available.

It was ironic, being treated with such respect, yet able to acquire so little. This world, though wealthy on the outside, was just as empty as Spira had once been in some places.

"Please," Yuna addressed Belgemine directly as she finally came back over to them, Tidus refusing to sit as there was no seat near the one Yuna had taken and he didn't entirely trust what was going on. Her other guardians, too, were on alert (because, despite having formally given up the position, Tidus still acted as such when called for. And when he was capable). "Tell us all you know."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid, it will be very little," Belgemine began as she took up a seat on a couch opposite Yuna. There was a small table between them. "But I'll start from the beginning."

Thus, all ears were on her.

"After Sin was defeated, the influx of souls into the farplane increased exponentially. Because of the rapidity of the pyreflies pouring in, it made it temporarily possible for the memories of the dead to reform. That's how the summoners here know who you are," she nodded to Yuna. "Your name, as well as the names of your guardians, were whispered to us on the waves of Sin's last thoughts. Rather, those of Yu Yevon. For a moment, we all rejoiced, for the struggles we had all fought through were finally justified in your actions.

"However, the grateful were not the only ones to reform in that moment. As there are both good and bad people in the world, so too is that the truth for the dead. Normally, though we were given momentary grace as the souls who'd created Sin moved on, we too would have faded, our memories splitting back into the pyreflies we'd once been. However, something happened when the dream began to come through."

"The Zanarkand Dream," Tidus murmured and Belgemine nodded.

"I'm not sure why, but, for some reason, it was unable to fade. The people and the buildings that had resided there wavered, but ultimately came back together. The fayth, panicking when the influx of souls allowed fiends to be born, threw up a shield to protect it. Zanarkand's existence, however, stoppered the flow of souls to… wherever it is the Farplane leads them," for not even she had faded enough to know that fate, "and those strong enough to find form were left to wander the Farplane without rest.

"Many of us searched for answers, trying to somehow unplug the flow that Zanarkand had halted, but during that time, someone… someone powerful took hold of the memories of those that had lived during the war and forced them to awaken, creating the imprisoned fayth that made this place. Which has slowed the flow even further. So now we walk here, attempting to find the source of the disturbance and the ones behind it. Yet all our endeavors to find answers have failed." She glanced down then, looking quite exhausted. But the dead were not meant to walk again, her inability to find peace a wrong none should have to go through.

"So you're unsent?" Rikku asked curiously.

"Not exactly." She shook her head. "The unsent form from a desire to be in Spira's reality, thus they are made up only of the feelings of regret or purpose the dead had harbored when still alive. Were I, for example, to reenter Spira, I would scatter into nothing because I have already accepted my fate. As we are now, here, in the Farplane, we are the closest to living the dead can ever be, for we are made up of not just ingrained desires, but all what we'd been in life as well, just without a physical body. If the dream would fade, we too would fade."

"You are, then, like the dreams, mere memories come to life," Auron replied.

"No." She shook her head. "Though I don't know the difference, we are not the same. The dreams cannot disperse and fly if they so desire; they can be harmed—they bleed." Which was something they'd all seen from Tidus. "We are similar and yet different, but I cannot tell you how or why."

That was the moment Meeren and Lenne finally reentered the room, platters of sandwiches, fruits, and fresh drinks in their arms as they bent down beside the table and set them down. The food, though not of the highest quality, was better than anything the party had eaten recently, and Yuna could practically feel her body salivating for it despite how she practiced control.

"You are dead, yet you eat?" Auron questioned. Because the only reason they'd have food was if they too needed it.

"Like I said, we may be memories, but we are not unsent," who didn't require sustenance. "Our lives when we lived had required food, and thus we do so now, or at least feel that we do. We would not 'die' without it, but the pain of hunger can be torturous."

A fact they could all understand. As soon as Lenne and Meeren had backed away, the group began to reach forth for their share, Yuna as well.

"I'd imagine you are in much greater need of it than us, however," Belgemine nodded, "if you are truly as alive as you claim." Which brought to mind a question Yuna hadn't considered before. If they were eating dream food, was it real? Yet it'd been able to sustain them thus far.

"You spoke of a… group you're a part of," Lulu started. "That Yuna is of high regard? What is that you speak of?"

"Ah, yes. The Convent of Summoners." She had grabbed all their attention once more, though they continued to eat. Lenne and Meeren stood to the side silently. "We are not all summoners, but we soon discovered that it was much more likely that those who are able to reform from memories are more likely to be summoners, thus our ranks are made up by a majority of such that have passed on. I can't say why, but it is theorized that because summoners spend so much of their lives calling on the spiritual, it is easier for us to locate ourselves in the Farplane. We no longer have the ability to call aeons, but the commonalities of our previous lives inspired the name. We now make a point of travelling among Dream Spira, looking for answers that might free the fayth imprisoned to dream and seek the ones behind it."

Which meant that it wasn't any kind of Dream Zanarkand that Lenne had come from, but the real thing, if she was part of these summoner's ranks.

"And I am known to and respected by all of you?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows coming together curiously. "The memories of the dead must stretch on for eternity. As far as the life of Spira, the thousand years that Sin existed must seem small to many of them. Why would they care for my identity?" Because she was humble enough, no matter what her guardians had accomplished, to realize that—in comparison to eternity—even a thousand years would be but a fraction.

"I cannot claim to understand the functions of the Farplane," Belgemine started, "but those of us who have come together existed only between the time when Sin was formed and the present. None who died before have been found."

"So every one of you knows of Sin," Auron determined.

"Yes." Belgemine nodded. "Which is why you will have great influence over what's happening here." She'd looked back to Yuna. "We all felt it when you defeated Sin. Living or dead, you hold the most power among us." Which wasn't something Yuna had anticipated she'd have to deal with.

"You sound as though you mean to somehow use Yuna's influence," Auron spotted, his voice becoming bristly.

Belgemine, however, stood her ground against the accusation, not intent on hiding her motives. "Corruption exists in memories as well as it does reality," she said quietly, Yuna easily able to understand what she was saying.

"There are disagreements among you about what should be done," Yuna replied coldly. "And you wish to sway me to your side." She was no fool to such things anymore, not after her pilgrimage. Tidus, who visibly tensed, took another step closer to her, his hand falling to her shoulder protectively.

"I do not wish to sway you, Lady," she bowed her head once. "I wish only that you know of the entire truth and are then able to pass judgment based on that. You know as well as I do that there were summoners who lied or refused to see the falsities spelled out before them. They are as much a danger now as they were to Spira."

She didn't have to say it out loud for them to understand. Yevon. That's whose power she spoke of. Not Yu Yevon, but the church.

"I see." Yuna nodded.

"I do not tell you this to put you in a difficult position, My Lady," she continued. "But the lines between what is right and what is wrong are just as blurred as they've always been. We search for the culprits who have caused this disaster, but for all we know, they could be directly under our noses."

"Give us a few names and we'll tell you who's bad eggs!" Rikku insisted.

"Even if some of the names of those in this Convent we did recognize, that isn't to say they're on the wrong side now if they've learned the truth," Auron lectured, "or that they're in a position of power." Their past experiences could serve them ill here, they had to keep that in mind. Or, rather, keep their minds open.

"We're looking for someone," Yuna started then, supposing it was as good a time as any to bring it up. "I think that," based on the bows she'd been wearing, "she was a summoner. We met her when we were departing from Dream Zanarkand. She seemed to think that we were dreams and dismissed us. If we gave you her description, is there a chance she's also a part of this convent?"

"There is a chance, yes. Without a name, however, it would be difficult to find her." Of course. "I will send out a search on your request, which should procure faster results."

"No," Auron objected. "If she realizes she's being searched for, and is somehow involved on the wrong side of this, an issue for her search by Yuna would likely only scare her off. We'll keep this to ourselves for now." And, as though taking an order from her superior, Belgemine nodded.

"The word of your coming will spread," she made perfectly clear. "Though we stay away from using the communications the dreams do, for fear of them realizing what they really are, your presence will reach the ears of the Prime Summoners. They will want to take an audience with you."

"I understand. I'll discuss it with my guardians." Which was her way of saying that, after all they'd learned, she still required a protective barrier around herself that none other than those who she trusted explicitly could breach. For though Belgemine had been a friend to her, she'd never been a guardian.

"Of course." And she didn't seem to take the discreet rejection as anything more than is was. "Meeren, Lenne, and I will leave you for a few hours—we have business to take care of in town. Though it's not much, the comforts here are yours to use. Please feel free." She stood, looking directly to Lenne and Meeren, who straightened immediately. Though it hadn't seemed as though Belgemine was somehow above them previously, after learning of her connection with Yuna, she'd garnered a whole new wave of respect.

All three of them bowing in a more elaborate, respectful fashion, they were soon leaving, the silence that followed their departure heavy with new knowledge and more questions.

"This just seems to get more and more …" Wakka sighed, the first one to speak as he slumped back against the couch.

"There is definitely more at work here than we'd initially anticipated," Auron agreed.

"So what do we do?" Rikku asked with a frown.

"I think we have to do as Belgemine said and use Yuna's influence to our advantage," Tidus interjected thoughtfully, his eyes apologetic as they met Yuna's, who was clearly surprised at his words. "Now that someone knows we're here, others will hear about it. What we need is more information. And the only way we're going to get that is by, one, discovering it for ourselves, or, two…"

"Using me to get it out of others," Yuna verified despite how the idea sat poorly in her stomach. Was it still considered manipulation if  _she_  was the one using herself?

Tidus, sympathetic to how the idea probably tasted in her mouth after what she'd been through, squeezed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her as best he could in the current situation.

"We may have to for the time being anyway." Lulu sighed. "Until we can figure out more." Because, for all they knew, maybe they didn't want anything to do with the Convent of Summoners. Until they had more information, however, they had to play dumb and go along with whoever would lead them to answers. Though there wasn't much difference between playing dumb and being legitimately ignorant, at least in this case.

"It's more of a lead than we had though," Rikku tried to be positive. "Maybe these summoners will be able to help us."

"Or they'll try to use us," Yuna warned.

"We won't know until we find out more," Auron offered. "For now, we'll just have to keep our ears open."

"What should we do, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Belgemine seems to think it's inevitable that we meet with these… higher ranking summoners," Lulu said. "I think we  _should_  meet them, at least to get a better idea of what we're dealing with." It didn't mean they had to trust them.

"I think so too," Yuna agreed slowly—thoughtfully.

"Belgemine can probably tell us the best way to get in touch with them," Tidus decided, finally lifting his hand from Yuna's shoulder as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If Yuna is as well-known as she's led us to believe, it shouldn't be that difficult."

"I wonder why none of the dead before Sin have reformed," Lulu murmured.

"This was all set off by Sin, wasn't it?" Rikku asked. "Maybe that has something to do with it." But none of them could really know. Odd, however, that everything still seemed to come back to Sin. Though the monster seemed more of an accessory at this point than the actual cause.

They continued to debate all they'd learned for some time after that, but were able to comprehend no more answers by the time they all finally fell silent. Thoughts left alone to stew, answers still eluded them; though more questions did form for some. Expression curious, Rikku found her attention drawn to Auron.

"What about you?" she said suddenly, quite obviously addressing him as they all looked her way. "Are you a dream then, or a memory?"

"I bleed," he replied simply, "so I can't be a memory." Because Belgemine had insinuated that, like the unsent, memories couldn't be harmed in the same physical way as dreams or the living. "Besides, the fayth told Braska and I explicitly that they'd dreamt us into Zanarkand along with Jecht for the purpose of aiding in its defenses." Thus, they hadn't come back into existence by accident, as these dead memories apparently had. They'd been given a purpose.

"It's strange how all of this is folding out," Yuna started quietly. "I… had never imagined that something so out of control of the fayth could happen." Because it was becoming clearer and clearer that those who'd given the power on Spira were but a small piece in what was continually becoming a much larger puzzle. When they'd been going after Sin, they'd sought out the fayth for answers. They had no such resources anymore however. Their ignorance was not bred by others, but born.

"We'll figure it out," Tidus decided confidently. "One way or anther. We just don't know enough yet." His tone reminded Rikku of the time they'd spent together trying to figure out a way to save Yuna. Despite how the odds had been stacked against them, he'd insisted that there had to be a way. Hearing that same confidence then, especially after how he'd proven himself already at being correct, created in Rikku both a faith in him and a confidence in all of them that if they simply willed it, they'd reach their answers.

"He's right," Rikku agreed. "We have to stay positive! We didn't give in during the pilgrimage and we can find that strength to push forward again! We just have to believe." Because where there was a will, there was a way.

Auron "hmfed" in response, Rikku glaring at him. "Though your idealism is foolish," he started, "the positivity, I suppose, isn't entirely unappreciated."

Rikku decided she could settle for that.

The question that crossed Yuna's mind, however, wasn't nearly so easily set upon. What, exactly, were they aiming to do? Everyone seemed to be a-okay with the notion that the dream had to, somehow, fade. But everything inside her screamed that doing so was wrong. Perhaps it was selfish, but she didn't want to let Tidus go all over again. He'd promised her that they'd continue to look for another way, that maybe they could still stay together, but how much of what he'd said had he really meant?

Is this how he'd felt when, despite how he'd promised he'd find a way to save her, they'd continued to march to Zanarkand anyway? She'd placed her faith in him, but never honestly believed that she'd survive the battle with Sin. Was that where Tidus was? Agreeing with her that they'd try to find a different solution, but ultimately having already accepted that, in the end, he'd fade?

Were they marching him, and Auron for that matter, to their deaths?

Willing or not, it didn't sit well with her and she felt abruptly guilty for having put her friends through the turmoil of the pilgrimage. It was the worst feeling in the world, knowing that the "right" thing meant losing people she loved. The  _man_  she loved, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Was this the same agony Tidus had felt the closer they'd gotten to Zanarkand?

The others had continued chatting, more cheerful after Rikku's declaration, but Yuna was feeling much the opposite. Reaching up, she took Tidus' hand, which was now hanging at his side, and squeezed despite how she refused to look up at him. She didn't see the way he glanced down at her in surprise, or the sympathetically understanding look he'd then cast her way.

The same look, he knew, that she'd given him so many times before.

Replying in kind, he squeezed her hand back, unable to ignore the feeling of a fast approaching end no matter how little they moved forward.

**oOo**

It had been decided, by the following morning, where exactly they were to go.

"The Prime Summoners do not always travel together," Belgemine had explained. "However, I do believe that there are a few of them in Remiem at the moment." Initially, she, Meeren, and Lenne had been going to head to Remiem together to meet up and receive their new directions (because summoners didn't get "orders"). However, the new developments would have to alter their course, or so had been reasoned.

"Lenne is a guide," Belgemine had continued, "and had been coming back this way to take Meeren and myself to Remiem. However, I think it would be best if she guided your party to Remiem, and Meeren and I returned to Baaj. I know some of the Prime Summoners had been there as well, and word should be taken to them equally." Thus it had been determined that they would separate after departing. With little at their disposal in the way of wealth, they'd had no reason to stay. Besides that, Belgemine had seemed in rather a hurry, so they were on their way out of the city by the afternoon following the day they'd arrived. Mostly because the walk through Bevelle—on the less used roads below the elevated traffic—had taken them a majority of the morning and early afternoon.

Before the group was to separate, they had to make it through the White Sands of Azriad, a place that none but the memories seemed to be familiar with.

"It's what Macalania Forest was before the fayth was there," Meeren had finally found the gall to speak after being so thoroughly reprimanded by Belgemine the day before. "The snow and ice you'd expect to see there is a desert without the influence of the fayth." A fact that didn't take them as much by surprise as it might have a year prior, at least those who'd come from Spira. Already they'd seen the decay of the forest since Sin's defeat. Slowly but surely, the snow was melting, the crystals fading. It'd been a particularly hard sight for Yuna to bear as one of her most treasured memories was among the crystal trees.

It was for the better of everyone involved, however, that the fayth were gone.

"It will take us about a day and half to cross the sands, if we keep up a good pace," Lenne had taken over. "After that, we'll head east." She was addressing the high summoner's party. "Along the edges of the Thunder Plains and into the Lo Moutains."

Rikku had whined at the mentioning of the Thunder Plains.

With only that minor objection, they hiked on, Yuna mostly silent as the mood from the day before continued to plague her. Instead, she focused her sights on the scenes around them, Tidus' figure always managing to somehow creep into her focus.

The first things she'd taken note of, as they'd reached the southern outskirts of the city, was the air traffic. Or lack of it. The cars were trapped to the inner parts of the city, it would seem, because soon all they were seeing were large airships overhead. Lenne mentioned that they were passenger and cargo ships, and that they were the transportation between city-states. It would appear, aside from the farms they'd encountered to the northwest, that few travelled outside the cities. Perhaps there was no reason to.

For this reason, they were mostly alone as they headed out to the desert, which was vastly different from Spira. Without the use of airships, the only way to travel had been to walk, so the roads had always been crowded. Things were quite opposite in the Dream—almost as though the thought of walking anywhere was completely preposterous.

Beyond the city, up the grade and slight cliff surrounding it to the south, they soon began to encounter the beginnings of the desert. At first it'd been a general thinning of grass, the rarely treaded road before them made up of sandy soil. By the time evening was beginning to set in, the entire structure of the landscape was changing. The brown sand was soon the most predominant feature, which Yuna found to be strange considering she'd thought the name had implied white sand.

As the hours crept on however, patches of white began to streak into the dirt, equally chalky boulders protruding out into the open air. The grass was gone entirely, the sun casting a foggy orange glow against the horizon as it set to the west. The sky took on a hazy, bluish-purple as the light was slowly sucked from the world, Yuna able to see the outcroppings of many such boulder collections standing out before them. Behind, the silhouette of the city stood tall and bright, igniting the heavens against night's judgment.

"We should probably make camp here," Belgemine decided as they came upon a rather chunky section of boulders and rocks. "If we get an early start, we should be able to reach the lake sometime before noon."

"Lake Macalania?" Lulu asked.

"Yes." She nodded in affirmation. Silently, because camping out wasn't nearly as much fun with people one didn't know very well, they started to set their tents beneath the shadows of the boulders, Yuna fully aware of the way Tidus had been looking at her all day. The concern to his brow was extremely predominant by that point, which didn't make her feel any better about the situation. Leaving it to the others to get the rest of camp ready (because none of her friends would bother her and none of the guests would question the high summoner taking a break), she entered her, Lulu, and Rikku's tent, feigning laying out her bedroll. As she'd expected, Tidus followed her in soon after.

He didn't address her right away. Watching him out of the corners of her eyes, she saw him tap some kind of machina control panel into action, the holographic tent responding to his skilled controls. After fingering a few buttons, he then dismissed the panel as quickly as he'd called it, the screen vanishing once more.

"What did you just do?" Yuna asked as she sat down on her ankles, straightening her back as she finished with her bedroll.

"I sound proofed the tent," he verified as he approached her. Plopping down on the bedroll in front of her, he crossed his legs as he stared determinedly at her, his eyes spelling out the questions he didn't actually have to ask.

And Yuna, unable to face his gaze, sighed and looked away.

"Tell me, Yuna," he ordered softly.

"What are we doing?" she asked, unable to hide the pain in her voice. "I feel like we don't have any control over what's happening. Like we're… marching ahead to somewhere I don't… I don't want to end up."

"I know." He nodded as he scooted a little closer to her, both his hands—real and machina alike—reaching out to take hers. "But we can't learn anything if we don't move forward. Once we have more facts, then we can figure out what to do. Until then, we just have to… keep going."

"Maybe I don't want to keep going," she said immaturely as she slipped her hands from his. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she faced away from him, her fingers twining together over her shins. Tidus, however, still gave her a rather adult look, as if her words weren't meant to be taken seriously.

"You're starting to remind me of, well, me," he stated with a slight laugh, remembering quite well how belligerent he'd been in Zanarkand.

"Maybe you remind me too much of me," she replied quietly, Tidus understanding perfectly what she was referring to.

"I haven't given up, Yuna," he murmured. "We just don't know enough."

"You keep saying that."

"It's the truth."

Silence.

"C'mon." He tried to be positive. "We decided that, no matter what happens, we'd take advantage of the time we do have together, right?" He smiled weakly. "I don't want to spend this whole trip… fighting with you."

"We're not fighting…"

"We're getting to it."

Another pause. Until Yuna, finally looking up at him again, couldn't resist any longer. Body falling apart, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his middle, her face pressed against his chest as she closed her eyes and tried to push away her fears. He was right, after all, no matter their outcome. Like Lulu had said, she had to seize the short day she had. If she didn't make the best of it, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

"Yuna," Tidus said her name softly as his arms collapsed gently against her back. "Can you… tell me something?" She found it oddly comforting when his machina arm began to rub up and down her back, her face nodding against his chest. "When you pulled me back from Leviathan last time… What happened?"

She'd been wondering when this was going to come up.

"I don't really know," she murmured as he reached down and pulled her legs forward until she was sitting in his lap.

"I just don't quite understand what I remember," he began to explain. "I've been thinking about it the last few days, but it just doesn't make sense. I know I was with you, but it's different than I know how to explain. Like you were… my entire world… for a little while…"

"It's because when… when I was trying to pull you back," she leaned off his chest, looking up at him, "I accidentally pulled your soul out of your body." His eyes widened then, his attentive expression trained down on her. "I don't know how it was possible, or why, but when I woke up, I found out that I was the one holding your soul. My body, that was. I had to… return it to yours."

"And you could do that?" he asked skeptically.

"I… I guess so." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I managed to find your soul… inside myself and put it back in your body." It sounded so completely ridiculous when she said it out loud. "I think, anyway…"

"So that's what I'm remembering," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

"Auron seemed to think it had something to do with me being a summoner," she continued. "Like when the fayth's souls were removed from their living bodies and put into stones. Or like when Yunalesca created a final aeon." Something they still had to ask him about.

"Well, I guess I'm glad you could put it back." He smiled shortly, still quite unsure how to react to being told such a thing. "Don't get me wrong, being… inside of you was comfortable and everything, but not exactly the kind of 'being inside of you' I was thinking of."

"That's inappropriate," she scolded lightly, looking up at him from beneath her brow. He laughed fully, finding her expression amusing, before leaning down and placing his forehead against hers, his arms tightening their hold around her.

"The truth isn't inappropriate," he muttered to her, Yuna unable to suppress the grin trying to fight its way onto her face. Upon seeing as much, he smiled as well, their lips soon meeting as Yuna brought her arms up to wrap around his neck. It was wonderful, really, being able to be so close to him. She'd never considered such a thing during the pilgrimage, but it came so naturally to her then.

She'd never been more comfortable with anyone.

"Dinner will be ready soon," she whispered as she pulled away from him slightly.

"I'm not really all that hungry," he replied breathily before situating his arms more appropriately to lay her back against the bedroll. She didn't fight him, instead pulling him down with her until their lips were meeting once again, eyes closed as his hands ran down her sides, the marks his fingers left burning through her clothes to her skin.

Taking in a deep, hastened breath, her whole torso seemed to rise against him as his legs were pulled to either side of her. Hands falling up to his hair, she allowed her fingers to sift through the locks until they found the bandana held in place there. Easily slipping it away, she set it aside before allowing her hands to once again slip into the messy blonde locks. He sighed against her lips, seeming to appreciate the action as their eyes fluttered back open.

"I'm not that hungry either." Yuna's voice was barely audible, her breathing already heavy as she felt his breath against her lips. Pulling him against her once more, the world around them seemed to drown away, the worries she knew would plague her later managing to fade—if only for a little while.

They didn't hear Lulu call to them, relaying that dinner was ready. And when no further effort was put into getting their attention when they failed to respond, they didn't notice. Rather, the mood outside the tent was quite lethargic. Dinner was eaten in silence. Rikku, who was bored with the whole thing, eventually took her meal from the center of camp and plopped herself down next to Lenne, who'd retreated to a high rock to look out over the horizon.

"What does Belgemine mean about you being a 'guide?'" she asked, completely insensitive to the silent, brooding thoughts of others.

"She means that I'm a summoner from this time period," she replied easily, her eyes coming back into focus as she looked over at the blonde. "For some reason, that makes me more knowledgeable about what's going on and where things are." Which wasn't exactly true seeing as she'd spent most of her life, prior to dying, in Zanarkand. "It's my job to make sure others from different times get to where they need to go."

"Oh." Rikku shrugged simply. "How did you die, if you don't mind me asking?" The blonde appeared abruptly sheepish.

"It's alright." Lenne managed a weak grin. "I don't mind talking about it." She sighed. "I was one of the summoners that Yu Yevon sent to the front lines during the war. And one of them that was sacrificed to create Sin. Once I was dead, the pyreflies that made up my soul were used to create his armor."

"Oh…"

"I don't remember it," she assured casually. "I didn't even reach the Farplane until Sin was finally destroyed by all of you. My soul was recycled with each reincarnation of Sin. But, though the pyreflies held my memories from when I was alive, it didn't exactly affect me to be used for Sin. Not… separated as I was."

"It's weird to me, to realize that the souls of the dead really do exist in the Farplane," Rikku began thoughtfully. "I was always taught that what was here were only memories. Nothing real."

"Well, you're not exactly wrong." Lenne shrugged. "But if it's not our memories that make up our souls—who we were and what we did—then what would?"

"I guess I never thought of it that way."

Pause.

"Let me ask  _you_  something now," Lenne began after a moment, Rikku glancing over at her with raised, expectant eyebrows. "Why…" she bit her bottom lip as she considered how to ask. "Why is that… that Sir Tidus and Lady Yuna always seem so… so sad?" She shyly met Rikku's eyes again, unsure if it was okay to ask such a question.

What she got was a sigh, though it wasn't offended. Merely, it sounded of sadness as well, Lenne becoming even more curious.

"Not to say that they don't seem happy  _together_ ," she rectified. "But…"

"No, I know what you mean." Rikku nodded. "You think that… that Tidus is like us, don't you? That he came from Spira?"

"Didn't he?" Lenne asked, abruptly surprised.

"Mmm, no." Rikku shook her head. "He… he's a dream. From Zanarkand." Blinking, Lenne was silent as she allowed this news to sink in, unsure what to make of it. "He was brought to Spira by the fayth, and Sin, to… help us… or something," Rikku waved off the subject. "He was one of Yunie's guardians on the pilgrimage. But after we defeated Sin, he… he disappeared." She sighed again. "And then we found him again when we came here."

"I see…" Lenne replied quietly, her thoughts racing with this news. Not that Rikku could know as much.

"Yeah, and if we manage to fix this, then he's going to… fade away again. Which is why they seem kind of sad, I think." She thought of Auron too.

"And they fell for one another? During the pilgrimage?"

" _Ohhh_  yeah." Rikku nodded. "I've heard Wakka and Lulu talking about it before. I guess it was kind of like love at first sight or something. Like there was an instant connection between them as soon as they met." She snapped her fingers. "Yunie even asked him to be her guardian before he'd been around a week, or so Wakka says. I wasn't there then, though I did meet Tidus before Yunie. Saved him from some ruins. Guess Sin dropped him off in the wrong place the first time." She clicked her tongue critically. "But if it hadn't been for him, Yunie might have died like all the other high summoners. He refused to accept it, which I think gave Yunie the courage to imagine another way. He's considered the best guardian that ever lived in Spira, actually. Just above Auron."

"Amazing…" Lenne murmured.

"Yeah, he's a pretty awesome guy." She tried not to sound too sad herself, pushing the idea of Tidus (and Auron) fading away to the back of her mind. "It's super romantic though. I hope I can fall in love with someone like that someday." Had to remain positive. "What about you?" A mischievous glint entered her swirling eyes. "Were you ever in  _love_?"

Lenne smiled softly. "Yes, I was. Once."

"Oh yeah?" Rikku wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Lenne laughed. "I met him when I was sixteen," she started, taking a deep breath. "The government, at the time, required that all citizens go through military training at that age because of the threat from Bevelle. We all thought it was nothing, and most of my summoner training was spent distracted with writing songs and singing."

"You can sing?" Rikku questioned.

"I used to." she nodded. "I was even famous for a little while, after I completed my summoner training. Anyway, I met him in the military. He was an amateur blitzball player that was doing his mandatory service and hoping to get signed to the pros. I think I distracted him a bit too much though. He ended up playing piano for me while I wrote songs most of the time, and didn't keep up on his own practice.

"He didn't get signed after he left," she cringed slightly, "but he didn't seem to mind. He co-wrote a lot of my pieces once I started to get famous, and was always my piano player at all my concerts."

Rikku could tell, however, that the story was going to take a sour turn.

"Then the war started," she sighed, "and we were both drafted back into the military. Initially, we were to go together, but he… he didn't agree with the politics of the whole thing and refused to go, even when they threw him in prison. I think he thought that… that if he couldn't go with me, they'd have no reason to send me to the front lines. Because he was my summoning partner."

A notion that none of the others had yet to understand.

"It didn't work out that way, though. I was signed on as a white mage instead, still in the front lines. He… he lost it a little, I think, and somehow broke out of prison. He did… a lot of bad things. I tried to stop him. I snuck into Bevelle once to follow him. But even after we were caught and had to run back to Zanarkand with Bevelle on our tails, I refused to give in to him and run away.

"I was under some grandeur idea that I was serving my city by going, doing my duty," she rubbed her right temple. "I told him I'd stay with him and then snuck out the night I knew the troops were to move. And he… he tried to come after me. But it was too late. Shortly after, Yu Yevon sacrificed us all and I… I never saw him again. I felt it though, even after I'd passed. That's the connection a summoner and their partner has. I… I knew he'd been killed the moment it happened, even if I wasn't consciously aware of it.

"I know it was my fault."

"He… he didn't come back, like you did?" As a memory, Rikku was thinking.

"No." She shook her head. "Or, at least, I haven't found him if he did. I'm not a summoner anymore," she stared down at her hands, "so I can't sense him like I used to."

"I don't get it." Rikku tried to move on from the sad story—to change the subject slightly. "What do you mean by summoning partner? Yunie never had a partner."

"Summoning was different back then." Lenne was glad to move on. "We didn't have static fayth imprisoned in stones like the summoners you know of did. It required the souls of two people—one to summon and one to become the aeon."

"Really?!" Rikku asked, aghast. She almost spilled the beans about Tidus being able to turn into an aeon, but bit her tongue at just the right moment. That was supposed to be a secret, after all, or so they'd all figured. "It… it sounds like the final summoning," she moved on.

"I don't know anything about that." Lenne shook her head. "But that was how we were taught. We had completed our training when we were able to successfully call our partner into an aeon and back again. That's why he thought he could stop me going if he stayed behind. Because without him, I didn't have my power as a summoner. I should have listened to him and run away. At least then we might have… been together a little longer."

"That's so sad." Rikku frowned.

"Perhaps," Lenne took a deep breath, "but it was a long time ago. There's no point in… worrying about it now. My regrets will change nothing." What was done was done. Better to focus on other things.

"Weren't you afraid?" Rikku asked. "Going to battle against Bevelle?"

"I was too foolish to know fear," she replied bitterly. "The government had pumped us full of pride, told us that it was gallant to fight and that we'd be heroes if we did. That, and my fame propelled me to be a good example. Even if we were destined to lose, I thought my sacrifice would mean something.

"In the end, I was used to create a weapon with more destructive power than the war."

"Sin…" Rikku said darkly.

"You all ended it though." She tried to be optimistic. "And we'll get through this trial as well. Somehow."

"Exactly!" Rikku agreed whole-heartedly. "Somehow…"

_Somehow…_


	11. Definition of the Damned

"It's called silica sand," Belgemine was explaining as they made their way along the edges of what would, someday, be called Lake Macalania. That was, had they truly been a thousand years in the past. "It's the most plentiful area for harvesting in the world." Hence the supposed outpost. "Bevelle is the world's biggest supplier of glass products." Because Rikku had asked why an airship they'd recently spotted was flying so low. It was landing on the other side of the lake, or so they'd been told.

Around them, the landscape had continued to alter from the choppy, bulging boulders they'd camped around, the land beginning to flatten out as the stretches of white sand had begun to overtake the brown. As they walked currently, all that was visible were white dunes, the day clear and crisp, the horizon unadorned.

Beside them, equally as pure and vibrant, was the lake. As though the beach surrounding it stretched on forever, the fine, white sand loomed all around them, the crystal blue water sparkling in the chilled sun. Because it wasn't a desert in the same fashion as Bikanel. The temperatures were moderate, the sun's harshness coming from its reflection on the milky sand, not the actual heat. Vegetation, however, didn't seem to exist at all, which made the desert as much of an anomaly as it was when it was a crystal forest instead.

"I've heard that the lake is actually a giant glass bowl," Lenne interjected into the conversation, "and that's why nothing grows." A rumor that none of the rest of them could comment on. The only times they'd ever seen the lake, there'd been snow (which explained the lack of vegetation), and when they'd fallen under the ice, the last thing on their minds had been to look around and wonder what, exactly, the edges of the lake had been made of.

"Really, it all makes sense," Rikku observed as she squatted down and picked up a handful of sand, the fine grains slipping easily through her fingers. "Sand is used to make glass, and Macalania forest is made of crystal. I bet the fayth used this sand to make the forest in the first place." Because Rikku was,  _obviously_ , a sand expert.

"Spheres too," Yuna agreed, remembering the special pool Auron had shown them in Macalania. There was probably more to the process of creating the forest than simply using the sand, but it did seem to justify the vast difference between the landscapes of this time and their own. The influence of the fayth wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"We'll be crossing up ahead," Belgemine explained. They'd been making their way along the lake for quite some time, or at least one of the tributaries that sprouted forth from it. The largest part was further to the west, but they'd had no reason to travel that far off course.

"How?" Rikku asked, skipping up through the sand until she was beside Belgemine.

"The Heaven's Tear Bridge," she replied, gesturing forward as they rounded a rather large, white dune.

"Oh, wow," Rikku gaped, the others also marveling at the sight. Sprouting from the sand and gracing its way over the water was one of the most incredible feats of architecture they'd ever seen. The details were minuscule, tiny bars linked together suspending it in the air over the water. Arcing in a swept, single wave, it might have been growing out of the sand were in not for the unnaturally detailed, even pieces that held it together, which spoke noticeably of the human mind.

And the entire thing, from one side of the broad birth of water to the other, was made of glass.

"Were we in the real Spira," Belgemine started, "it'd be claimed that this bridge was made some twelve-hundred years ago. However, it's been lost to history how it was created, though many have come to believe that it was done during the height of Spira's wealth in the previous age, or so the books I've read in Baaj have told me." Because she couldn't have possibly known such things without having researched it recently.

"It's convenient for crossing the lake and giving us a direct route to the other side." Lenne took up the mantel. "Otherwise, we'd have to get a boat or defer to the far east to get around. Though it's been debated whether this bridge was created as a work of art or an actual means of transportation."

The bridge itself, in its articulated glory, was some hundred feet tall from top to bottom. The steepled pillars did nothing to hold it up, but made it seem all the more grand.

"The things we've lost to Sin," Auron murmured as they finally reached it, even he able to mourn that there was only one reason it no longer existed in their Spira. Though, to be quite frank, it seemed a little extravagant in the same motion. Such beauty and art was still a luxury where they came from. Were it not for the fact that they'd recently begun to celebrate a world without Sin, the idea of having such a delicate, rather useless thing to protect would have been the last of their worries (which was probably part of the reason it'd gotten destroyed in the first place). No matter how beautiful, the lives of humanity had always been put before anything else, guarding such a masterpiece likely falling to the wayside when considering urban defenses.

Stepping up onto the bridge, the group began their crossing, Yuna staring down through the clear display to the water below. Tidus had come up beside her, staring over her head and through the glass as well. He hadn't said much all day, seeming rather distracted, and Wakka had claimed he'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed. However, she could relate, so she'd never commented.

Ahead of them, still examining the bridge in awe, were Rikku and Wakka, Lulu trailing behind. Auron was the furthest ahead, Belgemine and Mereen somewhat behind him, but ahead of the others.

Lenne was parallel to Tidus and Yuna, though on the other side of the bridge. She peered out opposite, her fingers trailing along the glass lightly.

"It's not the same, you know," she murmured a few seconds later, Tidus and Yuna the only ones close enough to hear as they looked her way. "The bridge, I mean." She met their eyes, a sad smile on her face. "I'd been here before, back when… all of this had been real." When she'd been alive. "This bridge isn't an exact replica."

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked curiously.

"The details," she explained as she ran her hand along some of the glass bars again. "They're too perfect. If the artist who'd originally constructed this bridge had been the one dreaming, we'd see all the faults. All the little nicks in the glass and warps in the execution. But this… it's an idea that people remember. They know it was made this way, but weren't close enough to really see it."

Glancing back at the glass, it did occur to Yuna that every bit of it was perfect. Each bar was identical to the last, measured exactly, no scratches or chips. So perfect, in fact, that it seemed incredibly unreal. Soulless.

"This happens sometimes." Lenne sighed, the two looking back her way again. "Things like this, things that are impersonal and without expected understanding, they end up not being exactly what they really were. As if the dreamers, perhaps, saw a picture or heard a story, and reformed things without actually knowing them. None of it's true—none of it's real." She looked away sadly and Yuna almost felt bad for her—were it not for the dark expression on Tidus' face.

"It's real enough to the people that live here," he replied, Yuna sensing the way his body had stiffened.

"The people that live here aren't real either," she said quietly, though there was a lift in her voice the hinted she was speaking more to herself than anyone. The offense was given, however, Yuna reaching out and grabbing Tidus arm, comforting him against the words.

Because she knew they hurt him.

"That's not true," he said steadily, his intense tone drawing Lenne's eyes his way. "The people here experience pain and happiness, and make memories just like you did. That makes them just as real as everybody else."

"They're mirrors of people that have already lived," she reasoned.

"That doesn't mean they don't matter." His voice was steely, his forced control kept only in check by Yuna's hold on him. "Or that they can just be disregarded as nothing. They didn't choose to be created this way, but their lives are still their own and they don't have to follow the path of the ones who inspired them. They're not victim to the history that's already passed."

"You sound as if you want the dream to stay." She looked at him fully, her brown eyes pointed as they paused on their trek over the bridge. "But what about the souls forced into waking to create these people? They too are victims and shouldn't be imprisoned so others can live.

"I've heard of your determination to stop the sacrifice of one merely so others could be happy. Certainly you, of all people, understand that."

And her argument, no matter how low, was something he couldn't refute. Because what she said did ring true with his own ideals, which was partly why he was so torn over their whole situation. Because he knew someone was actively dreaming so that he could exist, and that it wasn't fair for them to make that eternal sacrifice just so he could be happy.

But it also wasn't right that the dreams should have to fade simply to give others peace. It was a double-edged sword, one that allowed him no response to Lenne's argument.

Instead, his hard stare remaining locked with hers for a few moments longer, he was forced to give in, growling to himself as he tore away from Yuna and marched further up the bridge. Watching him go, Yuna felt her own heart fracture.

Turning, she set her eyes on Lenne. "You know what he is," she determined. Because the other woman wouldn't have said such things with such vindication had she not. "There was no reason to bring up facts that we're all quite aware of." She was just as injured by the course the conversation had taken as he'd been.

"You're  _not_  aware of them," Lenne challenged, Yuna wondering, through narrowed eyes, where this sense of confrontational bravery was coming from. "He's just a replica, as all of them are. He's a result of someone else's experiences, which makes him no more alive than we memories are." She seemed to imply that he was merely an empty shell, acting on memories that didn't belong to him.

"You're wrong," Yuna replied steadily, not at all fazed by the other woman's words. "His experiences are his own. I know because I was with him. No matter your argument, he was the one that was there during my pilgrimage, and my own knowledge validates that he is more than just a replica. There was no one else, and that makes him more real than any claims otherwise."

"He'll still fade," Lenne reproved harshly, though her words didn't have the affect she'd, perhaps, thought they would. Instead, she was towered over by Yuna's will, those sharp, penetrating, multi-colored eyes nearly causing her to flinch as she shrank beneath their substantial weight.

"He'll never fade to me," she said coldly, Lenne's whole demeanor becoming small at the sheer force of the eyes staring her down. She'd never encountered such a burning, all-encompassing look. It occurred to her too late that this woman was a high summoner—the highest summoner—and that her spirit was stronger than any other. To go up against such a person had been foolish, and she saw the fault, and grief, in what she'd said.

She'd let her own emotions get the better of her; regret, and that heavy look, soon forcing her to flick her gaze down to her feet.

She didn't meet those eyes again.

Yuna, disgusted by what had been said, stared at the shame in front of her for some few seconds longer before turning away. There was no room in her for sympathy, not in that moment, and without even a second thought at trying to understand why Lenne would say what she had, she stalked away. She'd learned the hard way that the wrongs of others were not hers to right.

She had no patience for such ignorance.

Which was why, when she didn't look back, she missed the tears that Lenne had wiped away before they could fall.

Instead, she trained her eyes on Tidus, who was ahead of Auron on the bridge now, his angry strides apparent to everyone. But the sheer force of his own mood deterred all from asking, at least for the time being. Feeling extremely protective, Yuna was soon jogging to catch up, her hand linking around his arm as she met him.

She could practically feel the fury wafting off him and she leaned her head against his arm, attempting to comfort him despite her own anger—which was fading quickly because she wasn't the type to hold on to such things.

Tidus, however, was finding it more difficult to overcome.

"Where does she get off?" he hissed a few moments later, the two of them now far enough ahead that their voices weren't audible to anyone else. "She doesn't know me, or anything about me. Who is she to say whether I'm really me or not!" He was practically shaking he was so angry. "I've lived my own life!" He turned to look at her then. "And she can't tell me that doesn't mean anything! I helped defeat Sin, didn't I? I was there! I've done things that matter! That makes me… different…" Different than the person he was inspired by.

He turned away, Yuna pursing her lips as she tried to think of the best thing to say.

"I know that," she murmured quietly. "We all do. Your identity is your own, Tidus, and no one can take that from you. Even if two people were born and raised in the same place, they may take on different lives. It's impossible that what you've done was repeated by anyone else, which proves her wrong. Nothing she says has any validation."

"I know," he agreed quietly, his own anger finally beginning to disperse as his shoulders dropped. "It doesn't usually bother me, being… what I am. I just… I think it irritates me more that she could disregard me because of it. Like I, and everyone like me, don't matter. Like we're… second-class citizens or something." Him and all his dream counterparts.

"She's wrong, Tidus," Yuna said firmly, drawing his eyes her way. "What she thinks doesn't mean anything." Her words, in their strict confirmation, did bring him some relief. Because when Yuna's eyes held that burning intent, nothing could sway her. If she believed in her own resolve that much, then he knew he could too.

He shook his head, sighing the remainder of his anger away as he caught her eyes again. "Thanks," he smiled down at her shortly, truly meaning what he said no matter how simple. "Sometimes I wonder what I'd do without you." She'd saved him so many times recently—mostly from himself.

"I hope we never have to find out again," Yuna murmured, her eyes falling away as she gripped his arm tighter. The fact that she wouldn't look at him told Tidus all he needed to know and, pulling his arm gently from her grasp, he wrapped it around her shoulders. She allowed her own grip to attach around his torso, her cheek against his side as he leaned over and laid his lips only lightly atop her hair.

Descending down the other side of the bridge, they remained close for the first time in public, Yuna realizing that it didn't bother her in the least. Together, they walked on, the sand before them opening up into an endless white field. The sun was chilling above their heads, the wind carrying the edges of the dunes into dusty clouds. It wasn't until they encountered their next fiend that they finally parted, the group falling back into its typical dynamic afterward. However, Yuna did come back continually to take Tidus' hand, even more determined than ever to make the most of every minute she had with him.

It wasn't until they'd come nearer the edge of the desert that the sun finally began to set. There were some hours that they could probably still travel, but the dark, looming clouds before them alerted the group that the Thunder Plains were within only about twenty miles and that it was safer to make camp outside them and try to get through as fast as possible than stop in the middle of the plains.

Rikku was beyond thankful for this, camp set up along a crack in the northern coast where the ocean interjected itself into the land. The sand was still plentiful, and the wind was rather rough, but since their tents weren't actually made of fabric, this didn't provide much of a problem. Instead, they were pitched quickly, Rikku and Auron having little luck catching fish in the water nearby. Thus, with Lulu controlling the elements necessary, they were sentenced to another night of stew made from water and their dried provisions. It was a little tasteless, but not horrible. Mostly it reminded them of sand, the uncontrollable wind and the grains it carried with it only so easily blocked.

Skin weathered and eyes tired, they were soon preparing for bed, the night sky inching overhead.

Tidus, meanwhile, found himself quite dissatisfied with the whole situation. Sitting cross-legged on his bedroll, his shoulders were hunched as he watched Wakka roll out his own sack. Initially, Auron and Wakka had shared a tent and Rikku, Yuna, and Lulu had shared one. When Tidus had been added to the party, it'd been discovered that while the three women fit quite comfortably in one tent, the men did not. Auron had gladly volunteered to set his own tent, leaving Tidus with Wakka. This, however, was not the source of his disgruntlement.

"Wakka," he said eventually, the bigger man looking his way questioningly. "Why am I sharing a tent with you?"

"Uh, because Auron wants to be alone?" he offered, clearly clueless.

"No, no, no." Tidus shook his head. "Let me… rephrase. You and Lulu are together now, right?" Because he hadn't called that one twenty minutes after meeting them.

"Yeah…" Wakka furrowed his eyebrows.

"So why am I sleeping in a tent with you while Lulu and Yuna are together?" Really, the logic of it all quite eluded him.

"Uh…"

"You'd rather share a tent with Lulu, wouldn't you?" he asked. Wakka, however, didn't appear as though he could comfortably answer such a question. "Well, I know I'd rather share a tent with Yuna," he said as he stood. "So, yeah, anyway." Grabbing up his bedroll, he folded it over his arm before heading outside.

Leaving Wakka to stew in his confusion, he walked pointedly across the camp to the female tent. Going on through the holographic doorway, he saw that Lulu was the only one there, her attention on their food stores as she sorted them into their respective bags.

He cleared his throat.

"Tidus," she said calmly as she glanced up, not at all surprised. "What is it?"

"You have to leave," he decided, the older woman cocking a skeptical brow at him as she stood. "I'm serious," he continued with a totally straight face. "Go share Wakka's tent." Her "looks" had long since failed to have any affect on him.

"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms as delicately as always.

"I'm sure you'd much rather share a tent with Wakka." He nodded as he walked further in. Dropping his bedroll, he gathered up hers, as well as the bags she'd been sorting, and placed them in her arms, which she only held out because he was practically forcing her to.

"This is me and Yuna's tent now." He went to the entrance and bowed lightly before gesturing her out. "So, please, do us both a favor and take my place in Wakka's tent."

At first she gave no response, seeming to consider his words as she did everything. But after a moment, she raised her eyebrows only quickly—the Lulu equivalent of a shrug—before heading on outside. Bidding her farewell only quickly, he watched as she headed into Wakka's tent before turning back to what was now his. And before he could consider the fact that there were still three bedrolls, Yuna and Rikku showed up.

"Tidus," Yuna said in surprise as she blinked at him. "What are you-"

"Here." He placed Rikku's bedroll in her hands before turning her around by the shoulders and booting her out the door. "Go find another tent."

"Wait, huh-" She was out before she could question, Tidus easily locking the entrance closed before turning to Yuna, who was smiling in that shy yet alluring way she sometimes did. He returned the gesture, completely ignoring the shouts of protest coming from outside.

"Hey!" Rikku was yelling as she tried to walk back in, very offended when she discovered she'd been locked out. "Tidus!" She snapped. "Let me in right now!" No response. "That's my tent!" Her feet were stomping. "Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!"

Nothing.

"C'mon guys!" she whined. "It's all sandy out here..." They had no sympathy and, with a pout and a groan, she turned and started to look for another place to sleep.

If Lulu was with Wakka, then that was out of the question. They'd brought two extra tents with them, but Auron was using one and the three summoners were using the other. There was no way she'd fit in with the ladies, so, quite ready to cry over the fact, she looked to the only other viable option.

She was going to end up sleeping outside. She knew it.

"Auron…?" Her voice was timid as she stuck her head in his tent. He was sitting on the ground, his sword in hand as he ran a sharpening tool along the edge. There was no response to her questioning, so she stepped the rest of the way in. Her bedroll hung from her hands as though ashamed. "Um… Tidus kicked me out of my tent… Can I stay here?"

This finally procured a response from him. He didn't look up, but his shoulders visibly dropped as he constructed the situation in his head, his sharpening coming to a halt. It wasn't that difficult to figure out what had happened and, finally pulling his eyes up to look at her, he painted the most disgruntled, disapproving look across his features that he could.

"I'm sorry…" Rikku muttered sheepishly.

He sighed.

"It's fine," he decided in defeat. What was he supposed to do? He could just send her outside, but that seemed unnaturally cruel, even for him. Besides, it was only for one night. After the summoners left, he'd send her to go sleep in Lenne's tent. "Just… stay on your own bedroll." Because the one other time they'd ended up sharing sleeping quarters was still fresh in his mind.

"Yes, Sir," she said quietly as she spread her bedroll out as far from his own as possible before shucking off her boots. Plopping down, she removed her daggers from her person as well as the bulky belts and bags she usually carried. Satisfied, she shoved them all off to the side before sliding into her roll. Pulling the covers around herself, she set her eyes on Auron, who was still meticulously sharpening his blade. The grinding noise didn't bother her much—she'd often times heard him doing it during the pilgrimage—and instead it reminded her of all the times he'd had to bother Tidus to do the same. It wasn't much of an issue currently, as Tidus had only Brotherhood, which was enchanted to stay sharp all the time, but back when they'd carried multiple weapons, he'd prompted Tidus constantly to do such maintenance.

"How long does that take you?" she asked quite before she could stop herself.

"I'll be done soon," he replied quietly, seeming to hint that he assumed she was annoyed with the noise.

"Don't rush," she assured. "I don't mind it."

"You should do the same for your daggers once in a while," he managed to somehow get a scolding in as soon as possible. "They'll grow dull if you don't."

"I know that," she pouted, though the thought hadn't exactly crossed her mind. Back when she'd used claws, she'd simply replaced the individual blades when they'd broken. It occurred to her quite suddenly that, were her daggers to break or go dull, she'd have nothing to fight with. Not in this strange world with no money.

Inspired, and because she really wasn't that sleepy, she threw her blankets aside before grabbing up her daggers and dragging her roll over until it was sitting in front of Auron in the sand. Sitting down, she didn't even have to say anything before he'd pulled a long tool, similar to the one he was already using, out of one of his packs and handed it wordlessly her way. He didn't even look at her as he did, Rikku taking the rough sided rod in her hands and peering at it critically.

Watching as he dragged his own tool along his giant blade, she grabbed one of her daggers and held the handle against her knee before attempting to mimic his movements. It was a fraction of the size of his, which made it difficult for her to know whether she was even doing things the same way he was. After a few moments, she gasped as she held her dagger up to the holographic light of the tent, her mood dropping at what she saw.

"I think I messed up," she decided, the rough edges of what had previously been a sharpened blade downing her mood. Finally looking up, Auron surveyed her work without much of a reaction.

"You're fine," he assured shortly. "It's going to look rough at first. Just be careful not to shave too much off. It'll look better once you polish it." Returning to his own work, Rikku watched him again, finally realizing that they weren't, in fact, using the same tool. His was made of some kind of dark stone while hers was rough, like a file.

Trying once again, she did as he'd instructed and tried to be careful as she sharpened. She took much longer than he did, Auron soon dropping his tool before pulling out a piece of thin sandpaper. He ran that along the blade, blending the old with the new before finally taking the large katana and setting it aside.

He watched Rikku for a few seconds, elbows on his folded knees, before he reached out and took her other dagger.

"That's good enough," he said a second later, Rikku stopping to look up at him. He held out his hand, issuing that she give him the file. She did and he then gave her the other stone tool. Without being prompted, he went on to begin sharpening her other blade, not at all deterred when the red paint flecked off to reveal the true color.

Rikku went about her own task, hoping, again, that she was doing it right.

"Where did you learn how to do this?" she asked in frustration as she continued to assume she was getting shoddy results in comparison to him.

"All Yevon swordsman were required to know such skills," he replied easily.

"Oh yeah." She stuck out her tongue. "I always forget that you were a yevonite." The disapproving disgust in her voice was blatantly obvious and Auron grunted once, though Rikku couldn't help thinking that it was the equivalent of a short laugh.

"It was a long time ago," he replied, cryptic as always.

"What was it like?" she asked curiously. "Being a yevonite I mean. Didn't you ever feel bad?"

"Bad?" he asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "You know, bullying us poor Al bhed all the time."

He did that grunt again. "I spent all my days as a yevonite in Bevelle," he explained. "I was… too good to send into the front lines against Sin. Instead, they focused on moving me up the ranks. Thought I had maester potential."

"Really?!" Rikku looked up, both shocked and surprised as her polishing came to a halt. "I couldn't imagine you as one of those terrible maesters." She frowned, Auron actually managing a low, rumbling chuckle at that point.

"Kinoc got the promotion they'd wanted me to take," he clarified, Rikku returning to her task.

"Why didn't  _you_?"

Pause—as though he were contemplating whether to actually respond or not.

"Braska wanted me as one of his guardians," he ultimately answered. "That, and… they wanted me to marry one of the high priest's daughters. I refused, which damned me to infamy." He didn't sound at all bitter on the subject, Rikku finally taking her turn to laugh.

"You? Married?" She shook her head. "I can't even imagine."

"Thanks." The cynicism in his voice was apparent.

"Oh I didn't mean it like that," Rikku continued unapologetically. "You just don't seem like the type that would ever want to get married, you know? Always wanting to be alone and all." Quite intent on her blade, she didn't notice when he looked up at her. If there'd been a hidden message in his gaze—one of hurt or surprise—she wouldn't have seen it anyway. And likely he, too, wouldn't have realized it was there.

"I'm used to being alone," he finally said, now waiting for Rikku to finish with the polishing stone.

"That's depressing," she continued on with it however. "I don't like being alone. I… was alone a lot after my mom died because I was too young to go with Pops and my brother. I don't ever want to be alone again."

"Being alone isn't always a bad thing," Auron lectured as he reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her polishing and causing her to look up. He took the tool from her hand before handing her a piece of sandpaper and going about continuing with her second dagger himself.

"You couldn't have always been alone though," she mentioned when it was clear he wasn't going to elaborate. "You must have had parents."

"They were both killed by Sin before I turned five," he replied coldly—in his typical fashion. "Off the Djose coast." Where, Rikku figured, he must have once lived.

"Oh…" she murmured, supposing she should have assumed as much. Auron never talked about his family—had never mentioned them once. Generally, when considering Spira's recent past, that meant they'd been lost to the battle with Sin.

"The temple sent me to an orphanage in Bevelle where I grew up until I could join the Yevon military."

"There must have been other kids there though." Rikku tried to find light in the shadows. "An orphanage, of all places, can't have been lonely."

"One can still be alone even when surrounded by people," he issued. "I wasn't a very approachable child besides. I had… anger issues." Which was justifiable. Sin had brought problems to a lot of people they wouldn't have otherwise dealt with.

"Well, you're not alone now." Rikku was once again looking for the positive. "We're all here. And we're all your friends."

Once again with the grunt. "I suppose," he accepted, though it sounded quite unwilling.

"And you have Uncle Braska and Jecht too," she tried. "You said it yourself that Braska asked you to be his guardian. You must have been friends with him."

"I never said I didn't have any friends," he countered.

"Oh, right," Rikku recovered lamely from her assumption. He'd moved on to the sandpaper as well, Rikku trying to refocus her own attention similarly. "I would have liked to see you back then. I bet you were a lot more friendly." Because he knew perfectly well what she thought of his current attitude.

"Some of us have never been gifted with the ability to… express ourselves as you do," he replied, his tone somewhat more steely than it had been before. "You seem to mistake my natural disposition for meanness."

Rikku couldn't help being surprised. That was the first time since she'd met him that she'd ever heard a hint of offense in his voice. It had never occurred to her that her quips about his attitude  _actually_ bothered him. She'd always just assumed that he knew perfectly well how he was acting and did it on purpose. She'd never considered that there was any other possibility.

"Are you telling me that you don't mean to be mean?" she asked, looking up from her work again. "Wow, you really need to work on that."

He sighed once more, though she was easily able to detect his irritation.

"Here." He handed her back her dagger temperamentally, the snappiness to his movements giving him away. He rose to his feet a moment later, grabbing up his sword before heading to the corner of the tent to put it away with the rest of his things. Rikku watched him the whole time, her brows scrunching closer and closer together.

The longer she stared, the more things started to come together. Back when they'd been on the pilgrimage, Auron had always seemed like this unapproachable force that had pushed them onward. He'd been invincible to her then, the truth of his position not changing that. And, in that assumption, she'd come to accept that everything he did and said, he did so for a reason. It'd never occurred to her that the reason he was so standoffish was because he was… shy?

No, that wasn't the right word. Auron definitely wasn't shy. Uncomfortable maybe. Yes, that was a better descriptor.

Abruptly, she understood. Auron didn't act "mean" because he wanted to be considered that way, but because he wasn't "gifted," as he'd so said, with social graces and acted as such when he was uncomfortable.

Auron wasn't shy. He was awkward.

"Oh my gosh…" she couldn't help murmuring to herself. Mostly because it sounded so ridiculous, at least to her. Auron was a legendary guardian, and so confident in everything he did. Or had seemed that way. And maybe in some things he was, but she'd been reading him wrong this whole time. When he'd seemed cruel or nasty, it hadn't necessarily been because he'd wanted to be (though she was betting sometimes it'd been intentional), it was just the only way he knew how to handle situations that made him uncomfortable. Instead of dealing with them, he pushed them aside with unkindness. Because that was the fastest way to get rid of another person. And that was clearly where Auron had trouble.

He didn't know how to relate to others.

"What?" he asked coldly upon turning to face her again, seeing the astounded look on her face. Blinking, she shook herself back into attentiveness, putting the sandpaper aside as she finished with her dagger.

"Nothing," she said a little too quickly. Flicking her eyes down to her weapons, she tried to distract herself comparing her work to Auron's. If only so she could continue digesting what she'd just learned. Much to her annoyance, however, the dagger Auron had done looked much better than hers, which, though sharp, was uneven and choppy.

She frowned.

"You'll get better," Auron said as he made his way back over to his bedroll, apparently over her previously insensitive comment.

Rikku "hmfed." "Thanks."

No response.

"Hey, Auron…" she said somewhat hesitantly. "You realize that… that we  _are_  all your friends… right?" Her odd question had caused him pause. He'd been in the midst of organizing his bedroll, his movements coming to a stop for only a second before he continued.

"I'm fully aware of that, Rikku," he replied simply.

"And you know I'm not just saying that to be nice, right?" she continued. "You're important to all of us, you know."

She thought she spotted the way his jaw had tightened. In discomfort. Because for someone who was socially awkward, this was probably one of the worst things she could do.

"Yes, Rikku," his voice was tight. "I understand." His tone came off as irritated—as though he were actually peeved she'd bring up such things. For the first time, though, she understood that he didn't act that way because he found their friendships with him tedious or unnecessary. It was a defense mechanism. She was being personal and he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Okay," she replied simply, ignoring how his eyes flicked to her suspiciously. Normally, he knew—had he reacted that way to such—she'd have gotten huffy and told him off. This simple acceptance unnerved him even more, were he being honest.

Probably better not to say anything about it.

Shaking his head, he went back to his bedroll, completely unaware of the way Rikku had scooted her way across the tent over to him. Upright on her knees, she took only a short breath before leaning over and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Quite to his tensing discomfort.

"What are you doing?" he asked quickly, not at all reciprocating the motion.

"All friends need hugs sometimes," was all she offered as she squeezed him a little harder. She was releasing him just as quickly, however, and crawling her way back to her own bedroll. Eyes narrowed, Auron watched as she slipped in under the covers, even more suspicious than he had been previously.

But no amount of staring helped him understand her any better. Shaking his head once more, he went back to his own roll, pulling the covers aside as he prepared to go to bed.

"Hey Auron?" Her voice interjected into the silence again and he couldn't help the way he snapped back at her.

"What?" he asked shortly.

"We… we have to go into the  _Thunder Plains_  tomorrow…"

"Yeah." He laid down, making sure to turn away from her. "Stay over there." He didn't want any more impromptu physical contact.

"I'm scared, Auron…"

"I know," and he didn't say it in the nice "you'll be fine" way that Yuna or Wakka would have. It was cut and dry, as though her fears were something he had to deal with on a regular basis and one of his top annoyances. What he said next, however, made up for it somewhat. "You'll live."

Because that was his way of saying "don't worry, you'll get through it." If he didn't care, he wouldn't have said anything.

She smiled a little to herself. "Thanks."

"Sure. Just make sure you stay over there."

"I won't invade your space." She rolled her eyes.

**oOo**

The group had parted ways the following morning. With short farewells, Belgemine and Meeren had gone south on their way to Baaj while the high summoner party went due east. Lenne led the way, supposedly being familiar with the path, and stayed a generous bit ahead of the rest of them. Both Yuna and Tidus could tell her detachment was a result of the words exchanged between them the day before. Prior, she'd been friendly, but was currently avoiding as much of that as possible.

Not that Yuna particularly minded. She wasn't a vindictive person, or the type to hold grudges, but if that was the opinion Lenne really had, then it was better if she stayed away from Tidus. Not that she didn't think he could handle himself against her, but such conflict was wholly unnecessary when considering the stress he was already dealing with. He'd given up his guardianship of her after all (officially), so she was determined to instead return the favor. Maybe the others didn't see it because of his naturally light attitude, but Yuna did. She saw it when he sat down as his lively blue eyes suddenly fogged over. When he reached up and rubbed his shoulder, as though a phantom arm was aching there. And even when he looked out at the sky sometimes, Yuna afraid he was going to change right then and there and go flitting off into the heavens to take care of whatever it was that was calling him to action.

It worried her some, but she didn't dare voice it. Perhaps because she wanted to pretend she was imagining things. But it'd become more obvious as the days wore on. It wasn't just Lenne that had put him in a sour mood. Despite having spent the night together, he'd woken up looking haggard and been somewhat moody, Yuna watching him as he hunkered on along the edges of the Thunder Plains. When approached, he still acted as though he were fine, but she saw otherwise during the cracks between.

The group was generally all-around quiet, however. The thunder rolling to the south kept them preoccupied, Rikku—who was normally the talkative one—hugging herself around the middle and staring out at the ocean as she ignored the creeping storm. Lenne had explained that the safest, easiest way through the plains and then around the mountains was to follow the coast. They'd still have to actually go through the mountain pass, but the path around the edge, though longer, was much, much easier than what more risky individuals considered the "shortcut." Only Auron had seemed somewhat displeased at the longer route, but ultimately said nothing.

This wasn't any more comforting to Rikku—not after Lenne had explained that the eternal storm drifted in and off the coast with the tide. In the morning, the tide was in, but it'd slowly drift out during the first half, pulling the storm over the beach as it did. Already it was beginning to glide over them, Rikku becoming more and more jittery. There weren't any lightning towers, such hadn't been put in place yet, but Lenne had assured that if they kept up a good pace, they'd reach a single lightning conductor halfway up the coast. It was put there for just such rare travels—If one kept up walking, they'd reach it just as the lightning was moving in. They'd wait there a few hours until the storm began to wane again, then move on. They'd end up walking some into the night hours, but it was better than making camp on the plains and being assaulted by the storm again in the middle of the night.

They couldn't even attempt to keep walking while the storm was there. Without the lightning towers, they were beacons to call the strikes. They'd never make it.

The sky was an ominous gray and purple blue to their right, a fog dampening the sunlight to their left. Ahead of them, through the murky atmosphere, they could see the outlines of towering mountains—a landscape that none other than Lenne had ever walked. Spira, at least when Sin had been around, had revolved around the temples, whose locations had been mainly on the west side of the continent. There'd never been any reason to go east past the mountains and civilization had soon died out there without the necessary passing of monks and summoners. Perhaps, without Sin, people would begin to travel that way again, but it was hardly on the top of the list for Spirans. This city-state they were headed to, Remiem, well, if there were ruins of it in the real Spira, they were remembered only in the name of the temple sitting abandoned in the Calm Lands.

The beach below their feet was rocky, the water rushing up and back between the jutting cracks as they wavered forward. It got further and further all the time, Yuna distracting herself with measuring how much more she could step out across the shining, polished black pebbles with each minute that passed. Tidus walked only a few feet behind her, Lulu and Wakka between them and the storm as Auron trailed Lenne.

Rikku was the furthest behind, far too anxiety-ridden to realize how much slower she was moving.

"Ho, ho!" Wakka's outburst drew their focus, the group looking toward the storm to see a rather violent wave of lightning strike down less than a mile from where they were standing. It sizzled, leaving smoke in its wake, and for the first time Yuna felt her own nerves spike. She'd never realized how violent the lightning actually was with the aid of the lightning towers—a security she'd taken for granted. They'd always attracted the strongest of the storm. The group was without that currently and realized that if they didn't come across their midway resting point soon, they'd all be done for.

"We're almost there," Lenne assured, as if reading their minds before she continued along the beach. Rikku had shrieked at the show of light, sprinting forward and grabbing Tidus around the arm. He looked down at her in surprise, but didn't shrug her off. She released him a few moments later of her own accord, Yuna pursing her lips in sympathy when she caught sight of the sheer terror in her cousin's eyes.

"There." Lenne gestured down the hill they'd just crested. Before them, there was a tall, blackened tower surging up from the ground. At the bottom was a circular disk that would provide them with cover, but overall it wasn't inviting or even all that secure. Rikku was by far the most relieved to see it, her pace hastening considerably as she caught up with Auron.

"I think I prefer our towers more," Lulu muttered when the group came up on it. Yuna nodded in agreement, finding it somewhat ironic that, though they were in the time of technological advancement, the machina-controlled towers of their time were more innovative. This was just a slab of metal pointed up to draw in the lighting. Their towers had actually been programmed to pull it in and away from travellers. But perhaps that was the difference between an era that could fly around the storm and one that had to constantly walk through it.

"Don't touch the tower though," Lenne issued as they pulled up under the disk and out of the incoming weather. "It's protected enough that we shouldn't feel any echo of the lightening near it, but it'll electrocute you if you touch it." Which left Rikku in the awkward position of trying to stay out of the storm and away from the center tower at the same time.

Within only fifteen minutes of them taking cover, the first strike barreled down on the tower. It shook the ground around them, Rikku burying her head in her knees as she curled up into a ball and tried to pretend she was somewhere, anywhere, else. Wakka and Lulu tried to comfort her, but their efforts were to little avail and soon Yuna found herself attempting to offer the young women any condolences she could pull up as well. Auron, meanwhile, stood off watching the storm while Tidus silently distracted himself with the roiling waves of the tide.

He didn't see Lenne come up behind him, his rear placed against the pebbly beach as his elbows rested on his knees.

She cleared her throat, alerting him to her presence and causing him to glance up quickly. Lips tight, he eyed her only shortly before turning back to the ocean without offering a single word of encouragement. She'd pretty much said that he didn't have the right to exist, after all, which was nearly as good as claiming he'd be better of dead.

"Sir…Tidus…" She said his name with clear hesitation. "I… I want to apologize for what I said yesterday." He still refused to look at her, which made her attempts to right the wrong even more difficult. Reaching up, she took hold of her elbow with her opposite hand, knowing full well she had to face her mistake. "I was… lashing out at you when I shouldn't have, and I really didn't mean what I said. I was just… frustrated."

"What do you have to be frustrated about?" he snapped, both meaning and not meaning to be so short with her. "You're already dead." It was harsh, and maybe he really wasn't so different from her, but he'd been in a bad mood all day and couldn't bring himself to be as civil as he might have been otherwise.

Above them, lightning came crashing down against the tower.

"Sometimes I wish it was that simple…" she murmured, Tidus finally bringing his eyes around to look at her. She was staring at her feet, the grief and despair in her expression causing his ingrained sympathy to surface no matter how he fought it.

"Why were you frustrated?" he finally asked, his tone torn between asking out of obligation and actually trying to care. Sometimes he cursed how naturally compassionate he could be.

"Because you remind me of him," she replied easily, having already admitted as much prior. "The resemblance, actually, is… rather uncanny." She smiled bitterly, her hand coming up to cover her face as she shook her head. Watching her, Tidus felt his irritation over the whole situation begin to dissipate, leaving him with only sympathy.

She  _had_  apologized.

"I thought I was over what happened to him," she continued, "but I think I was really just pushing it away. And every time I look at you…"

"I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault." She shook her head. "I just… need to stop ignoring it and deal with it." It'd been so much easier convincing herself that because it'd happened a thousand years ago, her grief should be put at bay. But, really, it seemed like only yesterday. Because it was only within the last year that she'd become conscious enough to really acknowledge what had happened.

How she'd failed him.

"I think… I know what you're thinking," Tidus started a few moments later. "But… I'm not him." Because it was starting to come together—why she'd targeted him as a dream and been so incredibly rude. "Even if… if I was supposed to be him, I'm not."

"I know…" she said quietly, laughing lightly before she came and sat down beside him. "There are small differences between you that I've noticed." She smiled gently. It was a sad smile, Tidus feeling even worse for her. Because he knew what it was like to lose his most important person. He was lucky, really, to have whatever time was left with Yuna. "You're taller than he was," she continued, "and more athletic. He was an amateur blitzball player, but you're a professional, right?" She'd overheard him and Wakka talking about it.

"I was." He nodded. "Once."

"You seem more worldly too, I think." She nodded, as if needing to verify the differences for herself. "Maybe a more mature version of what he could have been. Our world was… so much easier than what you and Lady Yuna had to see, I think. We lived comfortable lives without loss or hardship. You lost both your parents, right? You and Lady Yuna?"

He nodded.

"That never happened to us. At least, not until the war." She took a deep breath. "Compared to what you did, you and Lady Yuna, and how we acted… Maybe you're the better version of what he could have been…"

"Except I'm not," Tidus said shortly. Not in a mean way, but in a final way. "It doesn't do you any good to compare us. We've led completely different lives. I'll never be him and hoping that I could be will only hurt you more." Because it needed to be made perfectly clear that he didn't have any feelings of that sort for her. It was apparent she had feelings for him, no matter how misguided, or misdirected, they were, but she had to understand he wasn't who she wanted him to be. And would never be.

"Yes, I suppose you're right…" she said quietly.

Granted, it wouldn't be as easy as him telling her as much and her simply moving on, but at least he'd put the words out there and could claim to have warned her if she didn't attempt to quell her own emotions. He felt bad, of course, but wasn't going to risk hurting Yuna to comfort a woman he barely knew.

It was probably better, actually, if Yuna didn't know anything about this.

"Don't tell Yuna," he said then. "It'll only upset her." Not in a hysterical way, but he knew Yuna well enough to be certain that she'd internally torture herself over what he may and may not have been in "another life," if that was really the proper way to look at the situation. Not even he could really know for sure.

"I won't."

"Won't what?" As if knowing when she was being talked about, Yuna's voice echoed behind them. Head turning over his shoulder, Tidus caught sight of her gaze, which was searching enough to tell him she hadn't overheard any part of their previous conversation. He didn't like hiding things from her, but was easily able to agree that it was probably for the best. It seemed like a rather unnecessary complication, this whole "potential other self" thing.

"I won't say anything like I did yesterday ever again," Lenne recovered, standing and bowing low to Yuna both apologetically and respectfully. "I was out of line and was apologizing when you came over. I'd like to offer the same to you." And Yuna, looking for verification that this was true, glanced back to Tidus, who shrugged and nodded. His accepting attitude allowed her to do the same. After all, it'd been Tidus who Lenne had offended, not Yuna (not directly anyway), and if he was forgiving her, then Yuna had no reason not to do the same.

"I was actually just about to ask her about the summoners in Zanarkand." Tidus tried to change the subject. "I knew you were wondering about that." Better to get things between them all back on easier terms again.

Lenne raised her eyebrows, trying to be as invitingly apologetic as possible. Tidus also stood, though he clearly went to Yuna's side, making their previous conversation all the more impactful to Lenne.

"Well…" Yuna was always the forgiving type, easily able to breeze into the new subject. So long as someone showed her that they were trying to right a wrong, she was happy to give them that chance. Unless it was Tidus. Then she had to slap him first. "I guess I was wondering about the partner thing that you kept mentioning. I don't quite understand how it works."

"Oh, okay." Lenne nodded enthusiastically. "I've talked to other summoners after my time about this. When you used to summon, you were able to call on multiple souls, right? Because their spirits resided in statues?"

"Yes. From what the fayth told me, the summoner acted like a filter between them and the aeon."

"And that's exactly the difference," Lenne made clear, Yuna furrowing her eyebrows as she listened. Wakka and Lulu had come over as well, Rikku left to her own demons when it was clear no amount of comfort would help her. "The way summoning was taught in Zanarkand was fundamentally different. We didn't need to imprison the souls of the dead in order to call them into aeons. That was… a practice Yu Yevon initiated in order to keep the dream alive…" Because she wanted them to understand that summoning hadn't always been so cruel.

"Where did the aeons come from then?" Lulu asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's where the partnership came in," Lenne explained. "Those with gifts in white magic were most likely to be talented in the arts of summoning as well." Because white magic was similar in the sense that it was a personal experience that dealt with spiritually sensing a physical body. This was common knowledge in Spira as well. "Those of us who were considered qualified were sent into summoner training when our time to serve the mandatory military period came up. Once there, we were all taught the fundamentals of the process, but were not considered summoners until we'd chosen a partner and successfully called them into aeon form."

This caught Yuna's attention, her eyes widening some as she took in the new information.

"Partnerships are a personal choice, though, and some summoners were never strong enough to either call their partner into an aeon or find a bond powerful enough to do so. Those of us that could were gifted with the title 'summoner' and placed in the temple register by the high priest or priestess."

"You were successful?" Lulu asked.

"Yes." Lenne verified, her eyes abruptly clouding over. "My partner… died however, and so I am a summoner no longer."

"How do you do it?" Yuna asked, sensitive enough to cast the last comment a sympathetic look, but knowing to dwell on it would be more detrimental than moving on. "I don't… understand how it works." She had an inkling, but that was hardly fact.

"It's not that different from what you once did," Lenne continued, the lightning having since been drowned out by their conversation. "You prayed to the fayth, correct? You were given permission to utilize their souls in a solid form? That's really the basics of the process. Only instead of 'praying' to a statue, you 'pray' to your partner." She paused. "When you pray, you're really just… searching for the souls of the fayth, aren't you?"

"Yes," Yuna replied, having realized a long time ago that it wasn't her faith in Yevon and her prayers about such that had granted her the aeons, but her own ability to search out and prove her worth to the fayth. "I've also used the ability to… search for other souls, like the fayth here, sleeping."

"That's the beginning of how summoning was practiced in Zanarkand. The summoner sought out the soul of their partner and willed it from their living body. Once it was removed, the summoner would be able to warp that body into an aeon."

And Tidus, who was also listening intently, found her words echoing of all he'd been doing lately.

"But… where does the summoner put the soul?" Yuna asked, far more capable than everyone else at being able to keep up with the subject of the conversation.

"The summoner protects it," Lenne continued as she pulled her hands together atop her chest, as though she herself were guarding something valuable. "Within themselves until the summoning is over. The soul is then returned to the rightful body."

Lulu and Wakka couldn't help looking blatantly at Tidus and Yuna then, an entirely new understanding coming over all of them about what Yuna had done previously and how she'd somehow ended up with Tidus' soul inside her own body. It wasn't completely unheard of then, what she'd done.

"But… without a soul, doesn't the aeon grow… out of control?" Feral and dangerous, as Leviathan had been.

"No." Lenne furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding where such logic would come from. "So long as the soul is protected inside the summoner's own body, the aeon is under their control. The strength of the summoner protects against such insanity." So she was aware of the possibility of such though? "The souls work in tandem through the connection of the summoner, like a filter, as you said. So long as the summoner is in control, then so too should the aeon be."

"It is like the final summoning." Auron had come up on their group.

"I don't know." Lenne shook her head. "I don't know the details of that."

"Yunalesca waited for summoners in the ruins of Zanarkand," he explained. "She used the bond between the summoner and guardian to create an aeon powerful enough to defeat Sin."

"Lady Yunalesca was… the high priestess at the main Zanarkand temple," Lenne verified quietly. "She and Lord Zaon were the most powerful partnership in history. I would not doubt that she had the ability to control the bond between two people, even if the summoner didn't know how to call on a partnered aeon themselves."

"And the aeons… they never hurt the summoners?" Lulu again.

"No!" Lenne shook her head, eyes wide. "The aeons were dependent on the summoners. Their souls were protected by them. If something had happened to the summoner, then so too would the aeon be in danger."

"Then it couldn't have been the final aeons that killed the summoners, right?" Yuna asked, looking to Auron.

"No," he replied thoughtfully. "It must have been Yu Yevon. Would it be possible to take the aeons soul, kill the summoner, and hold the aeon prisoner?"

Lenne pursed her lips. "Yes," she nodded, her voice quiet. "It's called Soul Stealing and was punishable by death if committed." Common knowledge then, the ability to do so. "It was very difficult because the ability to summon a partner aeon is based on the bond the summoner and aeon share, but a summoner strong enough could do it. It's a heinous crime however, and supposedly extremely painful. The bond is the safety net for the aeon. They're giving up control to someone they trust explicitly. Their soul is in the hands of another, their life, and there is no position more vulnerable. To rip that away would be… unimaginable."

Abruptly, Tidus thought of his father. He'd trusted Braska enough to become an aeon for him, and his soul had then been ripped away by Yu Yevon and forced into becoming Sin. What kind of agony had that been?

"Aeons then…" Yuna tried to ask her question as delicately as possible. "They can't… summon themselves?"

"I… no. I mean, it is… it is possible, but there has only been one other  _known_  aeon in history capable of doing it. He was a peerless summoner, but his passion turned him to the wrong path. An intense emotion, perhaps, and a summoner gifted enough, could do it. But… not a normal aeon. Only one with summoning gifts, and only one who could somehow fathom warping both their body and soul into an aeon. No," she corrected herself. "Without another summoner, it wouldn't be an aeon.

"It'd be a monster."

"Who was the other summoner that did it?" Tidus asked a little too hastily.

"It was…" She paused, as though she herself were ashamed. "It was Yu Yevon. And the aeon he became later transformed into… Sin." After he sacrificed his own people to accomplish the feat.

"Sin…" Tidus repeated, his eyes falling away from the conversation as the impact of her words struck him. " _Sin_ …"

"Even attempting to do such a thing was forbidden by any summoner," she continued, unaware of the affect her words had had on the group. "Such monsters would be fueled by carnal desire. They'd be uncontrollable.

"We learned, when we were going through our apprentice training, that a thousand years before Zanarkand, there was a great war fought with such beasts. They destroyed the world as it'd been, leaving Spira ruined in their wake. Entire continents were wiped off the planet, a feat accomplished by only the few such monsters that were capable of being summoned into existence. Spira, as we know it," because this history cast such an impact that even they, Lenne and the rest of the party, were capable of being considered peers in comparison, "is the only mark of civilization that survived. Those who fled from that battle settled here, making our ancestors the only survivors."

"That is a history we never learned," Auron said coldly, though his voice was a little quieter than usual.

"I expect Yu Yevon destroyed such histories so that when the knowledge of Zanarkand's summoners was gone, none would know what he truly was…" Lenne explained, her deduction not that difficult to figure. And though she was aware that knowing such history was important, Yuna found her thoughts much more readily drawn to something else. Namely, Tidus.

The fayth had already once compared him to Sin, but not nearly as closely as Lenne had. Perhaps they'd wanted to hide the truth from him—because, as citizens from Zanarkand, they must have known—or just decided it was worth the risk. No matter, Tidus was still highly shocked by the hard truth. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he retreated from the conversation and gripped at his own hands. As though relating his human form to the "monster" he'd previously become. His thoughts, even as they passed silently through his eyes, were obvious to her. Surprise, then despair. Shame. Self-loathing.

He'd seen the destruction Sin had wrought, the death it'd brought. Being compared to such a thing—to the summoner behind it—was a downfall for the century. Both coming from himself and everyone else.

Overhead, lightning struck down hard, igniting the whole coast as Rikku shrieked from her position curled up on the ground.

"How long until the storm retreats again?" Auron asked, successfully managing to change the subject as they all looked up in response to the flash. Yuna used it as her chance to sneak away, Lenne focusing in on Auron as she explained. She followed Tidus, who'd since turned and walked away. He headed for the other side of the disk, Yuna picking up her pace to catch him.

"Tidus," she said his name softly—once they were out of reach of the others' ears. He didn't respond, instead continuing to walk until he was as far from everyone else as possible. Standing just on the edge of the disk, he was still staring down at his hands, Yuna coming hastily up beside him.

"Tidus," she said his name again. Reaching out, she tried to take his hand, to distract him from his own thoughts. The response she received wasn't what she'd expected. He actually shied away from her, like an animal both guilt-ridden and afraid. Blinking, she stood stock still as he backed up a few paces, her mouth falling open at his blatant rejection. His blue eyes caught hers, the confusion laid therein telling her just how conflicted he was.

But still he backed away from her, his expression reminding her of Leviathan when they'd been up on the cliffs.

When he'd dreaded helping them for fear of endangering their lives.

"Tidus, please." She reached out to him. "Let me help you."

He shook his head, his silent decision to refuse her causing her heart to tighten in pain. Pain for him, because she knew he didn't want to feel this way.

Turning, he walked off once again, rounding the disk until he was on the north side. Away from everyone else. Standing there, Yuna tried to think of what was best to do, her feet wanting to carry her forward and pursue him once again. Yet as she tried to step on, a hand fell to her shoulder.

Whipping her head back, she saw Auron standing there, a solemn look on his face.

"Let him be," he issued steadily. "He needs time to think."

Eyes downcast, Yuna felt her shoulders drop. Perhaps he was right, but she just wanted to be sure he was thinking the right thing. He wasn't like Sin, not in the slightest. Not like Yu Yevon; not like anyone.

She wanted to help him, but if he wasn't going to let her, then…

Then there was nothing she could do.


	12. Humanity's Ghost

Yuna wasn't sure what to think.

Tidus had kept his distance for the remainder of the trek through the Thunder Plains. Even when night had hit and Lenne had insisted they keep going until there was at least five miles between them and the storm, he'd remained steadfastly solo. Yuna let him be, though concern for him weighed heavy on them all. He spoke only when necessary and didn't look at anyone if he could help it.

It wasn't until they'd finally cleared the Thunder Plains (much to Rikku's leaping joy) and began setting up camp for the night that she even got relatively close to him. And only due to them sharing a tent. It was seriously disconcerting to her, mostly because it was so uncharacteristic of him. Tidus wasn't the type to hide his feelings if he was upset or distressed. Generally he was very forward and outspoken, even on more sensitive subjects. That he'd closed himself away so thoroughly was unexpected and left her at a loss for what to say or do. She didn't want to push him, but… she was just so worried.

Yet he remained distant. That was, until they finally went to sleep. She was surprised when, much like the night before, their bedrolls were still combined into one and he had no qualms being in close proximity to her. Within an hour of them being in bed, he'd wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible. It occurred to her that just because he'd been keeping away from her didn't mean he'd wanted to. With thunder rumbling in the distance, it'd reminded her of the first night they'd ever spent together. Wrapping her own hands around his, she'd held them tight, trying to get across to him as best she could that no matter what he felt or was dealing with, she'd be there. Just as he'd been there for her.

Before the night had ended, she'd been facing him, not surprised to see that his eyes were wide open and staring back at her. There'd been uncertainty there and, having leaned her forehead against his, she'd laid her hands against his bare chest before allowing her lips to find his.

Once, when words would have been useless or caused more grief, he'd still managed to bring her comfort. Maybe she could do the same for him.

With that thought in mind, she'd pulled him down as close to her as possible, the canopy of the tent hiding them in the dark as he'd pulled the covers over them against the chilled air.

The following morning, however, brought nothing better to the situation. He'd been up before her, bags under his eyes as he'd seemingly stared at nothing. His lack of attentiveness had worried her even more and upon asking him if he'd tell her what was wrong, all he'd replied with was "I don't want to talk about it" before rising to his feet, getting dressed, and leaving the tent.

She was at a loss. Never had she seen him this way.

Exiting the tent herself, she sat down silently for breakfast, which Lulu and Wakka were already putting together. Lenne and Rikku left their tent soon after, Auron showing up off the coast when things were finally ready to be eaten.

Wakka tried to call Tidus over for food as well, but he refused, instead deciding to pace up and down the beach.

Yuna had never seen him pace before.

"Is he alright?" Rikku asked halfway through breakfast, even Lenne finally taking note of how out of sorts he was.

"He's just stressed," Yuna replied, her response both truth and lie. No more questions were asked on the subject, her tone successfully shutting it down. But after packing up and moving on once more, no improvement was displayed in his attitude. He paced up ahead of Auron and paced back, his eyes downturned and he had his sword at the ready all the time. He was always first to take out the fiends, Yuna realizing—the longer she watched him—that he was anxious.

But he wouldn't say anything.

They continued on, up into the mountains. Because of the rough terrain and the distance, Lenne had explained that it would take them at least three days before they got to the other side, perhaps more depending on how smoothly things went. Thus, they were prepared for a long, uncomfortable trip, Yuna trying to distract herself with the rising peaks to her right. It was difficult. Not even their fogged, cloudy mysteries were enough to take her worries away.

"Are you sure there isn't something more wrong with him?" Lulu asked as the sun began to sink in early afternoon, Yuna sighing as that velvety voice overcame her senses. "He looks pale."

"He won't talk to me," Yuna confessed quietly, her fingers fidgeting together as they walked. "I've never seen him like this before. He's not himself at all." Because attempting to hide her concerns from her big sister was pointless.

"I can't imagine that what we learned yesterday really affected him this badly," the other woman continued. "Usually he lets things roll right off his shoulders."

"He hasn't said anything about it." Yuna shook he head. "He said he didn't want to talk about it. That's the most I've managed to get out of him." Besides his affections the night before, but she wasn't sure that counted as communication. Or, at least, the correct kind of communication.

"I think there's something actually wrong with him, Yuna," Lulu murmured.

"But what?" Yuna asked helplessly. "Do you think he's sick?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask Lenne."

"What would she know?"

"She knows about aeons," Lulu replied logically. "I don't think it's an issue of him having caught a cold or something. And… Leviathan is the only thing that's really been making him act strangely as of late. Look at him, Yuna." She pointed him out as he turned and paced back to the front of the group. "I've been watching him too and it seems as though there's something more… animalistic about him."

A fact that Yuna had also entertained, but not wanted to accept. Because he was supposed to be safe as a human, not plagued by whatever it was Leviathan did to him. What would she do if she lost that part of him too? What if it took over him completely and she couldn't reach him anymore? It was a possibility she didn't want to fathom.

"Let's ask Lenne," she agreed, locating the other woman up by Auron, who didn't seem to mind her company, as she didn't say much. Unlike Rikku, who always had something coming from between her lips. With Lulu on her heels, Yuna headed up to meet Lenne, taking her by obvious surprise in their abrupt approach.

"We have some more questions for you," Lulu said flatly, Lenne furrowing her brows, but not objecting. Auron listened in as well, his astute senses looking from them to Tidus and then back again.

"About summoning," Yuna added, Lenne nodding in understanding. "When… when someone was turned into an aeon, were there ever any consequences of doing that?" Her question was apparently odd, Lenne furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "What I mean is…" She tried to get her point across without giving away what Tidus was. Because she now knew that what he was wasn't normal. "Because their souls become separated from their bodies, do the aeons ever get… lost? It just seems so impossible to me, the idea of removing someone's soul completely and warping their body into something else."

"Lost?" Lenne considered the question thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose it's possible, but only in the worst of circumstances." Which was both what Yuna wanted to hear and what she didn't. "Say, for example, a summoner dies and leaves their partner behind. Unless another summoner can take up their mantle, that aeon might… lose it."

"What do you mean?" Lulu asked curiously.

"Well, there's this kind of… physical change that happens when the soul is removed from the body. I… really don't know that much about it—it's all science stuff—but supposedly after the soul is removed and the body expanded beyond its typical limits, the… physical makeup of the person changes a little."

"Physical makeup?" Yuna repeated.

"It's… hard to explain." Lenne rubbed the bridge of her nose as she considered the best way to phrase her thoughts. "There's a kind of physical release that happens when the flesh is transformed into an aeon. When the soul is removed, all that's left is the natural inclinations of the living body. The summoner keeps these… wanton senses under control. However, once the body does it once, it becomes a familiar feeling. A… desire, I guess you could say."

"So those who become aeons don't find the transformation at all painful or uncomfortable?" Lulu tried to get a handle on it.

"Well, no." Lenne shook her head. "It's kind of like… like being trapped in a cage and being suddenly let free. Like a wild animal, or so my own partner tried to explain to me once. We had a routine," she continued. "Most summoners did. Because once the body was transformed the first time, it becomes mandatory that the aeon be able to work out those muscles."

"And what happens if they don't?" Yuna asked quietly, her cheeks paling against her own control.

"Um, well," Lenne was having trouble articulating herself, "sometimes my partner would get really moody. And rash. Like if our schedules were really busy and he didn't get summoned for a couple days. He'd get ornery sometimes too, and…"

"What?" Yuna pushed.

Lenne was clearly uncomfortable, her cheeks reddening as she visibly decided whether she wanted to say more or not. "I don't… know. It's like the more animal parts of the aeons begin to surface. I'd seen some that would get really jumpy and paranoid, or even violent on occasion, though it's rare if a routine is kept. Some even… get really…"

"What?" Lulu asked a little sharper than she maybe needed to.

"Well, transforming into an aeon is a physical thing," Lenne tried again. "It's a release. So… some would want to do other  _physical_  things to try and ease that… feeling. If they, for whatever reason, couldn't be summoned."

"Oh…" Lulu said, it taking all of her self-control not to look at Tidus. Instead, she peered at Yuna, as if to make sure she understood what was being implied. Yuna was all seriousness however, not at all bothered.

"It's not a comfortable place to be in," Lenne continued. "They may try to quell the need through other methods, but there's only one way to actually do it, and that's for them to be summoned. Which is why it's dangerous if a summoner dies and their aeon lives. Because if they're not called within days of losing their summoner, they begin to become overtaken by it all. Unless a replacement summoner can be found. Otherwise…"

She didn't have to finish her sentence. Anyone who had that kind of pressure building inside of them constantly was likely to expire. Yuna understood now. Lulu had been right—asking Lenne had been the correct course of action. Maybe Tidus  _had_  been upset about the Sin comparison—maybe he still was—but that was only a single part of what was weighing on him. It'd been days since he'd been Leviathan. If what Lenne had said correlated with him as well, it was no wonder he was anxious.

It didn't matter how much she understood however, it didn't help her any. She didn't want Tidus to become Leviathan, not again. He was too dangerous and out of control when he became the aeon. There was a chance she could lose him again, or that he'd do something he'd never be able to forgive himself for. And in their current geography, if he flew up into the mountains, she'd never find him.

But they had to do something…

"Why are you asking me this?" Lenne eventually questioned, her eyes zeroing in on Yuna. However, her brown gaze held the answer perfectly well. She'd noticed Tidus' mood just as well as anyone, she was just missing the needed details to complete the equation. It'd been made pretty obvious that Yuna had been unaware of the partner practice, which meant that she couldn't possibly be Tidus' summoner, if that was what she assumed was wrong with him. So either his partner was gone or…

But Lenne had a hard time believing the latter.

"When are we stopping for lunch?" Rikku whined into the conversation, successfully jarring Yuna and Lulu's explanation as to why they'd been asking the questions. "We've been walking  _forever_. Up hill, might I add."

"Yeah!" Wakka agreed next to her. "I'm starving!" Thus, it was agreed that they'd pause for a moment to have lunch. Making themselves comfortable along the jagged coast, light conversation (coming mostly from Rikku and Wakka) permeated the group. Even they noticed that Tidus kept his distance however, all eyes occasionally darting to where he was crouched on a rock jutting out over the coast. He refused to eat, once again claiming disinterest, and it wasn't until he rose in an aggravated huff that Yuna felt the need to take action—whatever action that may be.

Quite without telling anyone, he stalked south toward the mountains and into the brush and trees there, quickly vanishing from sight. Granted, he was a grown man and had the right to go wherever he pleased, but Yuna couldn't ignore the way momentary panic had risen in her throat. Setting her food aside, she did her best to hide her own nerves as she stood and quickly, though steadily, trailed after him.

She was thankful when no one else followed.

Entering the brush, she was easily able to detect where he'd walked based on the trampled foliage and broken twigs. He wasn't trying to be secretive, in any case, and his careless retreat only worried her more about his state of mind. With little distance covered, the brush became a looming pine forest, the plants underfoot covered with a thick layering of needles.

Ahead of her, crouched at a lonely, rocky stream, was Tidus. She could see his frustration in the pull of his shoulders and the hardness of his breathing. Weaving around the thick trunk of one of the trees, she slowly approached.

"Tidus?"

As though startled, he spun on her, standing quickly and nearly pulling his sword. Eyes wide, Yuna paused, not at all enthused when it took him multiple moments to un-cloud his judgment and lower his defenses. Some of them, anyway.

"You scared me," he said, his voice oddly cold as he turned back around and crouched beside the stream again. Lips pursing, Yuna once more began approaching him, her own knees bending as she squatted down beside him. He had his fingers in the water, sifting through the pebbles. His brow was furrowed, his silence heavy.

Yuna had no words. The only ones that kept coming to her lips were unfounded claims about how they were going to figure this out, except that she had no idea how. Promises were fine, but what Tidus needed then was an immediate solution. And she most definitely wasn't going to suggest he transform into Leviathan.

They had to think of something…

Reaching out, she laid her hand on his arm comfortingly, but what she got in response was a growl and a shrug as he rose and paced up the stream.

She sighed.

"We… we were just talking to Lenne." Yuna tried conversation, no matter how fruitless. "I know why you're feeling this way." This gave him pause, his head turning over his shoulder to look at her. "So, please, don't shut me out. Maybe, together, we can figure out what to do."

"There's nothing to do," he replied, honestly a little sharper than he'd intended. He just felt so anxious, which was making everything hard to control. "It's not a big deal. I just need some time."

"It is a big deal," Yuna objected as she stood again. "You're not just feeling this way because you're… in a bad mood or something. It… it has to do with Leviathan… doesn't it?" And she could see, based on the surprise that overcame his face, that he hadn't anticipated her understanding the truth.

Surprise was quickly overcome by shame and confusion. Shame, because he wanted to be Leviathan again even though doing so endangered everyone he loved, and confusion because no matter how he tried to logically argue against it, the desire to do so was only growing stronger. He was torn, pulled between his animal instincts and his human rational. It was ripping him apart.

"Tidus." Yuna approached him again, thankful when, as she placed her hands on his forearms, she wasn't pushed away again. "We can fight this, together. Maybe… maybe there's a way I can help you. I'm a summoner, and I did manage to take hold of your soul once before. Maybe, if I could do that again…" She could grant him the release he needed.

The issue, however, was how long it would take her to be successful. Summoning wasn't something that came with the snap of one's fingers. It took practice, lots and lots of practice. She'd never attempted to summon an aeon in this way before, at least not intentionally, and it'd likely take her more time than he had to master it.

He seemed to realize this as well, the agony and pain in his gaze apparent to her even as he closed his eyes. Shoulders falling helplessly, he began to retreat from her once again, Yuna's own anxiety spiking forth.

She had to keep him with her.

"Don't…" she murmured, "don't run away from me." Leaning forward, she placed her hands on his chest before pushing her lips up into his. At first, she got no response out of him, but she was persistent and, eventually, his hands came up to take hold of her waist, his own lips responding in kind to hers.

It all happened very fast then.

As though she'd pressed a button, he was abruptly—completely—focused on her. She could tell, despite their lack of conversation, what he wanted, and she was quite fine with obliging. She wanted him just as much, though she hadn't anticipated it happening in the middle of the day. Before she knew it, they were on the ground, his rushed, passion driven lips trailing heatedly down her neck as she reached up and tore his jacket from his shoulders.

The pine needles beneath them were sharp against her skin as he ripped away her own clothes, but it was hardly a comparison to the heat beginning to swelter inside her. Fingers trailing down his chest toward the rim of his shorts, she was soon gasping as he placed himself between her legs.

It was a more carnal, physical experience than any she'd had with him before, which, to be honest, didn't bother her. They'd been together enough times that she trusted the act, able to let go of the more sensitive parts of herself in favor of sheer physical lust. She relished in the way his body created friction against hers, the sweat shared between them burning her in the deepest ways possible. If only for a little while, she was able to let go of everything but him, their world all their own as everything but his body and hers ceased to exist.

Perhaps the passion blinded her.

When it was over, she was left in a weak, shaking mess, his body in much the same situation as he collapsed on top of her. For a moment, all she could do was grip his shoulders and stare up through the canopy of looming pine trees. The foggy blue of the sky was leaking in through the cracks, dazzling her as she caught her breath.

She didn't know how long they laid there, but as the chilly air began to break through the heat, she knew it'd probably been too long. She didn't have any desire to be found tangled up with Tidus by one of her friends come to look for them. Thus, her modesty was what finally broke through the halo of aftermath that surrounded them, her hands messaging Tidus' shoulders as she tried to get his attention.

What she felt wasn't what she'd come to expect following their forays together. His muscles were tense, his breathing hyper-controlled. And as she turned her head to the side, she saw that his hand was gripping tightly at the ground—as though he were putting all his effort forth into holding himself up.

"Tidus," she said his name softly, carefully. Her precautions weren't enough to quell his nerves and, rather abruptly, he pushed himself up and rolled off of her. Sitting up quickly, Yuna watched as he did the same, his knees pulled up to his chest as he wrapped his arms, both mechanical and not, around his legs and stared blankly out into the woods.

His eyes were tired, strained, and she found that her worries only increased tenfold upon seeing as much. Ignoring the needles that were plastered against her bare skin, she reached over and laid her hand on his arm. He didn't react at all.

What they'd just done, no matter how passionate or corporeal, hadn't helped him at all. If anything, he looked worse.

Even more helpless because there wasn't any kind of release that came close to what he needed.

Yuna didn't know how to help him.

Hand falling away, she felt herself become numb as she stood and slowly wiped the pine needles from her red, scratched skin. The chill of the breeze mixed with the remnants of what they'd just done made her feel cold, a shiver running up her spine as she slowly collected her clothes and pulled them on. Maybe it was the hollow acceptance that spurred as much, or the fact that she'd run out of options in the short time since she'd learned what she had to do. What was necessary would take time—time that she could tell Tidus didn't have.

Pulling her hair out of the collar of her shirt, she took a deep breath before, fully dressed, turning to Tidus.

Her breath shook against the inevitable.

"I'll find you," she said quietly, her words seeming to fall on deaf ears as Tidus continued to simply sit, pulled up, before the stream. "No matter how far you go, I'll find you again.

"I promise."

She released the rope tying him to her.

Free, despite the sorrow and despair at being so, he stood. Reaching up, he removed the mechanical arm from his shoulder before allowing it to drop carelessly to the needle-littered ground. Upright, alone, he seemed to breathe in the wild air of the mountains, the wind whistling down from the peaks like a scream.

But to him, it was music.

With a bright flash, the same watery glow she'd witnessed take him once before began to engulf him. Within seconds, that silvery-blue hide had grown from his once human skin, his humanity buried as the lusting monster in him took over. Tail whipping, he was bursting forward through the trees, slipping seamlessly into the fog and clouds before vanishing among the mountains. Like an exploding ball of animal nerve, he was gone.

And she was left behind to the silence.

Heart pounding anxiously in her chest, her whole body was frozen in place as the waves of heavy stillness drowned her. Instinctively, and perhaps spurred by slight panic, she closed her eyes and reached out to him. She tried to find him among the sleeping souls of the dream. But he was too far gone in that moment—too far out of reach—and she wasn't even granted the luxury of rejection.

Attempting to quell the shaking of her breath, she slowly opened her eyes and tried to set her mind on an objective. Because if she had something to strive for, something to guide her, then she knew she could calm her nerves enough to endeavor.

She had a promise to keep, after all.

Bending down, she distracted her shaking hands with gathering his clothes, weapon, and machina arm together before folding them into a neat pile, if only to give her body time to calm itself. Finally still, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before righting herself from where she'd been crouched beside his things. She turned to the mountains. Resituating her staff on her back, she took one final, steadying breath before stepping forward.

Her friends would come looking for them soon, worried over why they'd been gone so long. They'd find his things—they'd know what had happened. And that she had gone after him.

But it was better this way. She couldn't guarantee control over him, so it was preferable that she be alone. That way, he couldn't hurt anyone else. Once she found him, because she'd never stop until she did, she'd change him back and use what little time they had to try and gain control. Until then, it wasn't safe for him to be with their group. Not if he was going to have to transform into Leviathan every stretch of days.

She'd find them again once she'd succeeded. Once she'd beaten back the monster holding him prisoner.

Boots crunching against the needles, she headed deeper into the forest, soon only a whisper in the breeze to those waiting for her return.

**oOo**

"I can't believe she'd go off on her own," Lulu continued shakily as she crossed her arms over her chest. "She could be in danger, out there with him. Why didn't she come and get us? We could have helped."

"Isn't it obvious?" Auron asked as he bent down to pick up Tidus' things, their strict organization telling him that someone (Yuna) must have set them as such before leaving. "She doesn't want us involved. Perhaps to keep us out of harm's way." A response that Lulu could offer no objection too. Not that Auron was feeling any better about the situation. The guardian in him was screaming to pursue, but it'd been hours since Yuna had followed Tidus into the woods (because everyone otherwise had thought it wise to give the couple some space). He could tell by the damage done to the trees which way Leviathan had gone, but once he'd been in the air, his trajectory was lost to them. And Auron could only guess at which direction Yuna had left. For all he knew, she could have left  _with_  Leviathan.

They were both as good as gone. Besides, even if they did go after Yuna, she'd hide from them if they caught up to her. It was one thing to look for a person that wanted to be found and quite another to search for one who didn't.

"We should go back and tell the others," he finally decided, Tidus' things in his arms. "Figure out what we're going to do." Because, without Yuna, their plans were rather quickly shoved to a halt. Even if they were to go to Remiem, none of the summoners would want to speak with  _them_. Yuna was the defining identity.

Nodding quickly, Lulu started back ahead of him, her pace revealing her own distress. Picking their way back through the trees and brush, they were soon coming back up on the rest of their party, who had long since finished lunch and were waiting around lazily for Lulu and Auron to come back with Tidus and Yuna. When the two sent to hunt them down came back alone however, everyone rushed to meet them, Tidus' sword in Auron's hand throwing them all off. Especially when they saw his clothes.

"What happened, ya?" Wakka asked, gesturing to Auron's arms. "Where are Yuna and Tidus at?"

The question of the day.

"They're gone," Auron replied coldly, Rikku gaping as she heard the words. "This was all that was left behind." He dropped Tidus' things, Rikku catching the machina arm before it could hit the ground. Wakka bent down and picked up the sword, his eyebrows furrowed as he considered the situation.

"Where'd they go?" Rikku asked, her eyes concerned.

"We don't know." Lulu shook her head. "We think that… that Tidus…" Her gaze went to Lenne, who she considered for only a moment before deciding the truth was going to get out anyway. "That he transformed into Leviathan and Yuna went after him." This caused Rikku even more distress, Tidus' arm hugged to her chest as though that was the last she had of both of them.

"Leviathan?" Lenne asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You said you saw the great aeon west of the Bevelle Camp," Auron clarified for her. "That's Leviathan."

"But… I thought Lady Yuna couldn't summon partner aeons…" The glint to her eyes gave away that she was assuming there was more to it, but was wanting verification from the rest of the group.

"She can't," Lulu replied. "Tidus turns into Leviathan on his own." The drop to her expression gave the impression that she'd thought as much, but her wide eyes reflected her amazement.

"He's a summoner then too," she replied. "One as powerful as… as Yu Yevon…"

"I don't know," Auron shook his head. "Tidus has always been a… unique individual. The fayth chose him specifically and put it into his head—the idea of becoming Leviathan. If he does have the talent to summon, he's never put it to use." Nor did Auron think he'd had any intention of doing so. Leviathan had been a phenomenon that the young man himself hadn't been able to explain very well. Besides that, the fayth had made it sound like summoning was more based on willpower than actual talent. If that was the case, Tidus was definitely capable.

"Lady Yuna is in great danger going after something like that," Lenne continued. "He could be very-"

"We're aware," Lulu cut in with a sigh. "He's nearly killed us twice already. Once when we came here and once while we were in Dream Zanarkand. That's why he transforms—the fayth called on him to protect the dream city."

"Like Sin had once," Auron added darkly.

"How was he called out of it though?" Lenne asked. "From what we'd learned in our training," summoner training, "such a monster couldn't return to being human again. Because their animalistic instincts take over their humanity."

"Yuna called him out of it once," Lulu explained. "That's probably why she's going after him. She's going to try and do it again."

"How'd she do it?" Lenne asked, aghast.

"She somehow removed his soul and dismissed Leviathan," Auron explained, assuming that must have been, in the simplest terms, what she'd accomplished back then.

"Incredible." Lenne shook her head. "She must be exceptionally powerful as well, to find a human soul in an aeon like that. Maybe, if she does find him again, she might…" Might be able to do it again. It was a risk, though, that all of them would have preferred she hadn't taken. At least, not all on her own.

"Well, what do we do?" Rikku asked, her eyes going to Auron for guidance. "Should we go look for them?"

"I don't know," he replied, Rikku's disposition dropping even further at his lack of certainty. "I don't know that we'd find them. And getting lost in the forest, in the middle of the mountains, wouldn't help anyone." Especially not Yuna. Or Tidus for that matter.

"I'm worried about her… And Tidus too…" Rikku admitted, her head falling. She still clutched at the machina arm, Auron pursing his lips in silent agreement.

"If we get separated, we're supposed to stay in one place," Lulu started. "It seems rather counterproductive really, but if either of them comes back, we'd do good to be somewhere they could find us." The problem was how long it'd take before they showed back up (because none were entertaining the idea that they wouldn't). The group couldn't survive outside civilization forever—their food stores would run out eventually.

"I think we should wait in Remiem," Auron decided, taking charge, as usual. "They know that was where we were headed."

"Leave the mountains?" Lulu didn't like the sound of it. "But what if something happened to one of them?"

"We're not going to know any better here than in Remiem," Auron argued. "Staying here serves no purpose." Which Lulu knew. But she didn't want to just pack up and abandon looking for Yuna. It went against everything she'd ever done, as both a guardian and a sister. She could tell by the look on Wakka's face that he felt the same, but Auron's logic stood. They'd only starve if they stayed.

"Shouldn't we at least look? Even a little bit?" Rikku asked, her words earning her no response. Yuna didn't want to be found; otherwise she wouldn't have gone off by herself. No, looking would likely end in nothing but wasted time. To look fruitlessly would be to induce panic. Though they be guardians, they had no choice but to accept that both Tidus and Yuna were on their own. They didn't have the means or the knowledge to adequately search.

"Hey, guys," Lenne interjected, "not to change the subject, but there are some people walking this way." She gestured down the coast in the direction from which they'd come, everyone turning in abrupt interest, the same thoughts running through their heads. The duo weren't Tidus and Yuna however, everyone's shoulders dropping as they instead prepared to encounter strangers.

"I thought you said no one takes this path," Lulu murmured to Lenne, the couple down the coast still too far away to make out with absolute certainty.

"No one usually does," Lenne explained somewhat sheepishly. "Unless, of course, they're part of the Convent." Which, they supposed, was entirely possible. Not wanting to raise alarm, the group dispersed, going about gathering up the leftovers from lunch and acting like what might be a camping or hiking party. The weight from the concern over Tidus and Yuna downed their attitude considerably, and created in many of them a rather avid distraction. For these reasons, it was only Auron and Lenne that went to meet the newcomers, pretending to take up a walk as they left the other three of their group behind.

"Good afternoon!" Lenne said cheerily as they met, her hands forming into the bow familiar to those only from the real Spira. And when the man among the newcomers returned the expression, Auron realized that this was how the Convent identified each other.

"Lady Summoner," he replied, Auron noting that his accent sounded similar to Wakka's. "I wasn't expecting to meet anyone on these roads." He smiled good-naturedly, his ruffled red hair held back in a bandana. He had bright eyes and a tan complexion, his fine features reminding Auron somewhat of Tidus. Despite being a memory, he sported clothes expected of the dream, a sword strapped to his back.

The other person, a woman, didn't say anything. Short, spiked, silver hair; black leather outfit; and also outfitted with a sword—Auron assumed she must also be a part of the convent. Her red eyes watched them in calculation.

"We're travelling from Bevelle to Remiem," she explained. "On Prime Summoner business. My name is Lenne," she bowed her head slightly, "and this is my companion, Sir Auron."

"Sir Auron?" the man said in surprise, looking him up and down with wide eyes. "Well I'll be…" So this person recognized him? Must have been someone who'd died only recently in Spira's history. "It's an honor." He nodded quickly to Auron. "Name's Chappu."

Auron knew that name. He supposed it could be a coincidence, but the longer he looked, the stronger the resemblance to Wakka he saw. No, this had to be him.

Well, things were about to get interesting. Not that they already weren't.

"This is my companion, uh, Paine." He nodded to the other woman, who didn't offer up a response. "I was taking her to Remiem as well." He looked back to Sir Auron. "I'm surprised you haven't been taken into the ranks of the Crimson Squad, ya? Most guardians serve directly under the Prime Summoners."

"I'm serving a different summoner," he replied simply, not exactly sure how much he should be telling this young man. Lenne, however, took over for him.

"We're escorting the High Summoner Yuna to the Prime Summoners." Lenne trusted a little too quickly, Auron decided.

"High Summoner Yuna?!" Chappu's eyes bugged. "She's here?!" Because, as someone who had grown up on Besaid, it would make sense that he'd have known her. Probably just as well as Wakka and Lulu.

"She and her guardians have come through from Spira," Lenne nodded, Auron supposing it didn't really matter who knew what anymore. They were going to meet the Convent after all, which meant Yuna's presence would have been revealed eventually. Still, Auron's avidity for stealth and secrets did make him frown on her forwardness. "Unfortunately she's… disappeared."

"Oh…" Chappu's shoulders dropped. "What happened?"

"She's gone in pursuit of a personal objective," Auron interjected, not wanting Lenne to blab on any further. And here he'd been thinking she was sensible and quiet. "She'll come back to us once she's completed her mission." He tried to make it sound as official as possible. "I have a question for you, however." Because he knew the others of their group would be coming after them soon enough. "You're from Besaid, correct? You're Wakka's younger brother?"

"Really?!" Lenne asked in surprise.

"Hah, ya, that's me." Chappu smiled again. "Guess you would know him though, huh. He was one of Yuna's guardians, right?" Auron nodded, wondering to himself if Chappu could be as similarly dimwitted at times as his older brother. An abrupt calculation overcame his expression, hinting at otherwise.

"He's here," Auron verified before the question could be asked. "Lulu too." Because he remembered quite clearly some of the episode, specifically one with Luzzu, that had made it perfectly clear there'd been some drama between the three of them.

"Oh…" Chappu said quietly, his eyes falling to the side as he considered the situation.

"They'll be catching up with us soon," Auron warned, attempting to give Chappu enough time to figure out what to do. Auron didn't particularly care one way or the other—it wasn't his drama to deal with after all—but proper warning would at least ensure one side of the equation was properly prepared.

"I think I hear them now." Lenne had turned back, watching as the three left behind approached from around a particularly large rock outcropping sticking out toward the coast. Auron supposed it was all too late then, because if Wakka didn't recognize the young man right away, he was certain Lulu would.

Chappu was suddenly pale, his lips pulling down uneasily.

The three that approached were somber, still out of sorts concerning Yuna. Rikku had strapped the machina arm to her belt and Wakka Tidus' sword to his back. Lulu had likely packed up his clothes, her eyes downcast as she followed behind the other two. Which was probably why Wakka was the first to spot Chappu and not her.

Auron watched the whole thing—Wakka stopping suddenly to stare at Chappu, his gaze initially empty before his mouth fell open and his brows pulled together in confusion. Rikku looked between him and the man to whom his focus had been drawn, her own gaze questioning. And it wasn't until she noticed Wakka's pause that Lulu finally drew her attention up as well, her own pale skin emptying of what little color it had as her red eye widened.

"Ch… Chappu?" Wakka finally managed to sputter out.

"Hey ya brudda," Chappu said through obvious awkwardness. "Long time no see…" He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort.

"That's your  _brother_?" Rikku asked, aghast, and Auron pursed his lips at her lack of tact. Turning around, he approached her, setting a hand on her shoulder and successfully managing to get across that she needed to be silent.

"Hey, Lu…." Chappu turned his attention to her as well. "Didn't think I'd see you guys here…" Lenne was easily able to pick up on the atmosphere of the reunion and stepped aside accordingly.

"Uh, ya…." Wakka agreed dumbly, Lulu still unable to find words at all. Thankfully, Wakka got himself together faster and, finding motion again, stepped hastily forward until he was directly in front of Chappu. Reaching his broad arms out, he easily dwarfed his younger brother as he pulled him into a tight embrace—one that Chappu only returned after his initial shock wore off.

"You lookin' good, ya," Wakka nodded once he pulled away again, hesitant smiles slowly stretching across both their faces.

"I look the same," Chappu assured, waving off the compliment and hinting at his own status as a memory—dead. "You though… I can't even… Is that machina?" Chappu's attention was drawn to the large guns Wakka now carried instead of his blitzball. "I never woulda…"

"Yeah, a lot changed," Wakka assured as he reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Been learnin' a bit from the Al bhed recently." Though he never did master Auron's coffee maker.

"And you were gettin' after me for usin' a gun when I joined the crusaders," Chappu teased as he poked Wakka fondly in the chest. "And here I am, bein' good and usin' a sword like you wanted." He patted the blade he had strapped on.

"Ha, yeah…" Wakka shook his head, the awkwardness still quite thick between them despite Wakka's attempt to bury it. Lulu still hadn't approached, Chappu's eyes flitting only quickly to her before going back to Wakka. But his older brother wouldn't meet his gaze again, his broad form stepping away as he also turned his attention to Lulu.

No, he hadn't stepped away Auron realized. He'd stepped  _aside_.

"You've changed too," Chappu addressed directly. "In a good way, 'course." He tried to smile, but it came off more as a grimace.

"You haven't changed at all," Lulu finally managed to blurt out, her words almost insulting despite the unease coating their execution.

"Ya… bein' a memory will… do that sometimes…" Chappu's voice died away to a mutter as his eyes fell to the ground. And Auron, his own eyebrow cocked, supposed the situation for the three involved was of the utmost awkwardness. It was awkward to watch, in any case.

What were they even supposed to say to each other? Chappu and Lulu had once been an item, from what he'd gathered, and then the former and gone and died. He was still dead, Wakka and Lulu were now together, and a reunion hadn't been on the radar for any of them. What  _could_  they even say to each other?

It was strange, watching them. Because it was clear that all parties involved were both equally happy and equally upset to have come across each other. Wakka was clearly glad to see his brother, but the way his gaze lingered on Lulu made it obvious that he felt both for her and himself in the situation. Auron found himself wondering, actually, if Wakka hadn't always had feelings for Lulu and just remained on the backburner because she'd gotten together with Chappu. The two had been serious enough to consider marriage, or so Wakka had said once. So what, exactly, was he supposed to do? Auron knew what  _he'd_ do—Chappu was still dead, and that meant his presence really amounted to nothing in the end. At least as far as Lulu and his relationship. But Wakka was the type that would step back if he thought it was the right thing to do. And being the simple-minded man that he was, he'd assume that fighting for Lulu's attention against his brother would be wrong—whether that brother was dead or not.

"Yes, right, dead," Lulu said as her gaze fell away as well, as if she'd needed to remind herself that Chappu was just a memory and not flesh and blood standing before her. Her mind went quickly to her previous conversation with Yuna—how she'd advised her to take advantage of what time she had with Tidus and how she would have done the same with Chappu. Now that she was standing before him however, things weren't so simple. She'd moved on from Chappu, and he was dead besides. Mostly, she was just overcome with unease and a strange kind of rebellious longing. Despair, maybe, as well.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Never in her wildest dreams had she fathomed coming across him again. Unlike Wakka, she hadn't come up with excuses for his death. Accepting it had been the easy part for her, though moving on hadn't. Maybe it'd been because, when he'd joined the crusaders, she'd already entertained the idea that he wouldn't come back. She'd prepared herself for the worst, but never the best.

"So… you guys are legendary guardians now, huh?" Chappu turned his attention back to Wakka, who glanced up at him. "Never woulda thought, ya. To think you two helped beat Sin back for good. Wish I coulda seen it." Pause. "Sir Auron said Yuna, ah,  _High Summoner_  Yuna," he corrected himself in good-humor, "disappeared. Where'd she go?"

Probably better to move onto other subjects.

"She went chasing after, uh…" Wakka caught himself, looking to Auron for verification. Lulu, however, didn't require permission.

"She's looking for one of her other guardians," she explained cryptically. "He's gone missing as well."

"And you guys didn't go with her?" Because Chappu had been around long enough to know how protective all three of them had been of Yuna.

"She left without telling anyone," Auron interjected. "We only found out a little while before coming across you. We were just contemplating what our next move was going to be." Though they'd mostly come to the agreement, or he had anyway, that they should keep going on to Remiem.

"Are the Prime Summoners still in Remiem?" Lenne asked then, drawing both Chappu and the other woman's, Paine's, attention.

"I don't know," Chappu shook his head. "I work under the Crimson Squad. I don't get information like that." He shrugged apologetically. "I'm just part of the escort for Paine here, who works as a messenger between city-states. We were coming up from Djose."

"You're a dream," Lenne looked to Paine then, able to somehow pull as much from what Chappu had said.

"Yes." She nodded, still expressionless.

"I thought the dreams weren't supposed to know about any of this?" Rikku interjected thoughtfully.

"We keep our presence out of the knowledge of the general public," Lenne replied, "but it has become necessary to alert a few select dreams of our intentions. So we can travel around freely as well as garner support when necessary." Chappu nodded in agreement, Paine offering nothing else on the subject.

"What's the Crimson Squad?" Auron asked.

"It's an elite fighting force that serves under the Prime Summoners," Chappu explained. "Made up of legendary guardians and top soldiers who managed to come back. They're escorts most of the time, like what I'm doin.' Usually for… controversial people or high ranking individuals." So Paine was either important or controversial. Most bet on the latter, what with her being a dream. It wasn't surprising the Convent would want to keep tabs on those working outside their own ranks.

"You know what you are, then?" Lulu asked her curiously, the two red-eyed women focusing in on one another.

"I'm one of the few that do," she replied stoically. "I was chosen as a neutral party between what leaders have been alerted to the truth. They trust me to carry important messages between them and the Convent." Because, obviously, there was no absolute trust between anyone.

"And you're okay with it?" Rikku asked.

"I don't have much of a choice," she reasoned. "What of you? Certainly you've accepted your own fate, whatever it is." Whether Rikku was a dream or memory; because Paine was assuming she could only be one or the other.

"I'm alive!" Rikku announced. "We came from the real Spira through the Farplane." Auron wondered quickly if she got some kind of sick joy out of telling people that just to see their reactions. Because even Paine, who was obviously the unemotional type, spiked her eyebrows in surprise.

"They're the Highest Summoner's guardians," Chappu explained, though it was clear such information was far more important to him than it was to her.

"You are not memories or dreams then." She was still looking at Rikku.

"Well,  _we're_  not," she gestured to Wakka, Lulu, and herself. "Auron's a dream though." She shrugged. "The Farplane in Spira was actin' all weird, and when we went to investigate, we ended up here."

"I see…" Paine narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Enough, Rikku," Auron scolded. "We were going to reveal ourselves to the Prime Summoner, not everyone." Because Paine was evidently part of an entirely different group of people. But perhaps it was better that the information be leaked, or Auron had been thinking (which was why he hadn't stopped Rikku). If the Prime Summoners were the only ones aware, then they'd be able to easier manipulate Yuna into doing what they wanted. With another power also knowing, that created leverage. Because Auron didn't doubt that Paine would relay the information to her superiors.

"Sorry…" Rikku muttered, though she sounded more rebellious than actually apologetic.

"You're Al bhed," Chappu stated suddenly, looking directly at Rikku before turning his attention to Wakka. "She a legendary guardian too?" Wakka nodded before Rikku could answer. "Wow, usin' machina and travelling with an Al bhed. I never woulda guessed."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Rikku objected loudly.

"A lot of things have changed," Lulu reiterated, Chappu gliding over Rikku's outburst and turning once more to the other woman. The weight of her words were evident, though their meaning more fogged than Chappu could really know. He took the hint however, looking away again just as quickly.

"You're all looking for someone?" Paine tried to round the subject back to what would be most interesting to her—the more information she could deliver, the better after all.

"No…" Auron answered before any of them got the chance. "We won't find her now, not in these mountains. We're continuing on to Remiem." At that point, whether everyone liked it or not. "If she finds her guardian, she'll meet us there as well."

"Yuna went off on her own, huh?" Chappu asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he considered the idea. "I never would have thought she'd have become the impulsive type. Who's this other guardian?"

"Someone important to her," Lulu replied, not needing to say any more.

"We should keep moving." Auron tried to ease them along. "We waste the day, standing out here talking." His way of ending the reunion in favor of travel. Neither Chappu nor anyone else objected, mostly because it was clearly apparent they'd be travelling in the same direction anyway. Leading the charge, Auron was trailed by Lenne and Rikku, the latter slowly inching her way back toward Paine with a curious look on he face. Lulu followed after, Chappu and Wakka buddying up at the end.

Eyes travelled occasionally to the skies, looking for any sign of Leviathan.

"Hey, that's my sword!" Chappu started with a smile as he eyed Brotherhood strapped to Wakka's back. "Don't rely  _entirely_  on machina then, do ya?" He was trying to make light conversation—he wanted to reconnect with his family at least a little while he could—but so far all endeavors to do so had failed.

"Ah, yeah…" Wakka pulled the sword from its makeshift sheath, eyeing it with a concerned eye and unable to come up with an appropriate response before Chappu spoke again.

"Can I see it?" he asked, holding out his hand. Hesitating for only a moment, Wakka supposed it couldn't do any harm and allowed the sword to fall from his hands to his brother's. Rikku and Auron had glanced back at the exchange, but didn't say anything upon witnessing it. Instead, they turned their attention forward once again and ignored any odd feelings that welled up through their throats.

This was Wakka's brother. No need to be defensive.

"You were right, you know," he started after a few more experimental swings with the sword. "I shoulda taken this with me and not that machina gun. Maybe then I woulda lived a little longer." All Wakka could think, however, was how odd the sword now looked in Chappu's hands. He didn't like thinking as much because Chappu was his brother and meant the world to him, but there would always be resentment over the decisions he'd made that had ultimately led to his death. Maybe he  _should_  have done things differently, but he hadn't, and that was a fact.

"Yeah, well, I don't know that it woulda made much of a difference." Wakka shrugged. "Like you said, I been usin' these machina guns now and I don't have any complaints about 'em." Thanks to Rikku and her helpful tutoring sessions on how machina could be useful and why he should learn about it.

"You still got this though," Chappu added, holding up the sword as if it should be some kind of contradiction.

"That's not mine," Wakka replied simply, his words causing Chappu's face to fall into surprised curiosity. "Belongs to that guardian Yuna's goin' after. Gave it to him when he showed up in Besaid. Made good use of it during the pilgrimage. More use than you ever got outta it, anyway."

"Oh…" Chappu seemed to look at the sword in an entirely different way then, though, to be honest, it didn't really bother Wakka. Maybe it was because, no matter how glad he was to see his brother, he was also still angry. Maybe he'd always be angry. Chappu had done so many foolish things despite being advised not to. He'd gotten himself killed, abandoned his family, and, worst of all as far as Wakka was concerned, broken Lulu's heart. A heartbreak, he knew, she'd never fully recover from.

"Who is this guardian?" Chappu asked for the second time as he slowly handed the sword back to Wakka, who slipped it into the sheath at his back. "And why would he leave his sword with you?"

"It's… hard to explain," Wakka reasoned, knowing full well that he couldn't reveal Tidus' secret to anyone, even his brother. It was bad enough that Lenne knew, honestly. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about it the last few days—what Tidus was and what they'd learned. Maybe he didn't catch on to things right away, but give him time to understand every angle and he'd get there. As far as he figured, if the wrong people found out how powerful he could be, that'd put him in even more danger. Because, as Wakka had learned the hard way, humans were always more than willing to abuse their power.

Maybe that was why, despite how elated he was to see his brother, he was also being more reserved. He didn't trust the situation they were in, not one bit, and found himself wondering at just how real Chappu actually was.

Or maybe he was in shock.

"Okay…" Chappu replied slowly, seeming to finally realize that they were keeping secrets from him. He wasn't sure how that sat with him, but there also wasn't much he could do about it. "Well tell me what you been doin' these past few years. Other than beatin' Sin, of course." He wanted to keep things light, like they used to be. Taking on serious topics, unless he felt validated in what he believed, had always been difficult for him.

And Wakka was happy to move on to easier conversation, his mood rising considerably when they got onto the topic of the Aurochs.

The day was waning fast however, the group deciding to make camp around a large outcropping of rocks as the sun sank to the west. Chappu and Paine were welcomed into their camp as well, the sleeping arrangements once again getting shuffled around. Because Auron didn't trust Lenne, he'd offhandedly suggested that Rikku continue to share with her so as to prevent Paine and Lenne from ending up together (obviously, he hadn't said it that blatantly, but Rikku had gotten the idea).

Lulu and Wakka having previously shared a tent wasn't even brought up, Chappu and Wakka ending up together while Lulu and Paine took Tidus and Yuna's tent. And because Wakka and Lulu were keeping their distance, Auron and Rikku mentioned nothing about their relationship, even Lenne being intuitive enough to keep her mouth shut. If they didn't want it to be known, then it fell to no one else to reveal the truth.

Lulu spent much of the evening in her tent, even going so far as to excuse herself from dinner duties on the pretense that she wasn't feeling well. Which left it up to Lenne to take over the black magic for cooking. She wasn't used to utilizing her skills in such a fashion, but eventually managed to produce something that was at least edible.

Rikku entertained herself most of the night with trying to get information out of Paine, efforts which failed miserably. They knew nothing more about the woman and what she did, or who she worked for, other than what she'd already outright told them. Eventually, so frustrated, Rikku huffed and went to bother Lulu in her tent while Chappu and Wakka entertained themselves with more blitzball discussion. Auron kept an eye on Lenne and Paine, but found that there wasn't any real threat of the former revealing anything. They hardly looked at each other, let alone talked, and if Auron knew better, he was pretty positive he'd sensed some hostility between them. Not the personal kind, but a distant type of unfriendliness—spurred by extreme distrust perhaps. It was much more apparent on Lenne's side, but Paine wasn't a total blank slate either.

It wasn't until Paine separated herself from the group and went to stand against the rock-littered coast that Auron decided to take a stab where Rikku had previously failed.

Coming up beside the stoic woman, he didn't initially say anything, preferring to take things one act at a time.

It took only a few moments for Paine to question him. "You must be here for a reason," she stated. "What is it that you want?" Straight to the point.

"I don't want anything," he replied honestly. "Besides what you're willing to tell me."

"I'm not willing to tell you anything."

"I don't know what the rift is between you and Lenne, or perhaps it's you and the 'memories,'" he pushed forward, "but I assure you that we have picked no sides. We travel with Lenne because we need more information about this place. However, that does not define our allegiance. Therefore, it would be in your best interests to understand that we want both sides, not just one."

"And what would be the benefit of explaining anything to you?" she asked wisely.

"If you're travelling with members of the Convent, then you must believe what they've told you," he decided. "If only to a certain degree. Those in my party are from the real Spira—we know nothing of this world and the people in it. High Summoner Yuna is a very influential person among the memories. Refusing information that could potentially broaden her understanding could be dangerous. For you." For the dreams.

"This Lady you speak of, this 'summoner,'" Paine crossed her arms over her chest, her hip cocking, "she's not here. What defense is that if I can't even be certain she exists?"

"I think you've heard enough of our uncapped conversation to realize the odds of that are rather low," he verified.

"So what if she is real? And important?" Paine shook her head. "Who is she to care what the dreams have to say? If she is 'alive,' as you say, then won't her influence fall within that of the Convent? Aren't the dead of your world where her loyalties lie?"

"Not necessarily," he replied. "I, like you, am a dream, and there is also someone very close to her that claims the same title. She will consider both sides very carefully, I assure you of that." He didn't have to spell it out for Paine to get the message. There were only so many ways someone from another world could be "close" to her. Either through friendship or something more.

Paine was silent for some moments, as if considering his argument, and Auron gave her all the necessary time she needed to contemplate.

"How do you think it feels?" she asked suddenly. "To have intruders walk into your cities and homes and tell you that everything you know is but a figment of someone else's memory? As if, because they claim 'reality,' they have the right to take over and do as they please? These Convent summoners care nothing for the 'dream,' as they so call it. To them, we don't even exist."

"There is tension between the dreams and the Convent."

"Yes. If what they say is true, our time here in the world has been but only just over a year, though lifetimes have passed to us. Because of this, they look down on us as though we were children who needed guidance. As if we were unworldly and ignorant. So yes, the relationship between us and them is strained."

"If what you say is true, then why have anything to do with the Convent at all?"

"They have proven to us, I suppose, that their claims about our existence are real," she affirmed. "Because of this, we are as obligated as they to understand why we are being dreamed into existence. To ignore such facts would be a disservice to all that we are."

"I see."

"You claim to be a dream as well," she pointed out, finally looking at him. "Yet you travel with a Convent Summoner. Certainly you realize that their main goal is to find the source of the dream and put an end to it." She said it as though this fact should upset him.

"I have lived much longer than I look," he clarified. "I have been 'alive,' I have died, and been dreamed back into existence. I have learned, in that time, that my loyalties must be to those most important to me, not the government or its ideals." He met her gaze. "You would do well to remember that. Politics, no matter how just, are never honest." It wasn't a direct answer, but it was enough. Turning away, Paine said nothing more, a simple "hmm" leaving her throat as she focused again on the ocean splashing in and out before them.

Satisfied he'd learned enough, Auron left her, going to his own tent as the night sky crept up behind the foggy clouds above. In the tent beside his own, Rikku was crouched down beside Lulu, who was doing a fairly good job at pretending she was asleep, all rolled up in her sack.

However, Rikku's curious gaze, though it'd been on her for the last fifteen minutes, had to be addressed at some point. Lulu could only take the scrutiny so long.

"What do you want, Rikku?" she finally asked, knowing full well that the blonde had jumped in surprise without even having to look at her.

"Oh, uh, I was just wondering if… if you were okay…?"

"I'm fine," she replied without turning over to look at her.

"O-okay…" Rikku stuttered, her concern evident. "Just… if you need to talk about anything, I know I'm not… not Yunie, but I think I could maybe help." She tried not to sound totally uncertain. And Lulu, ever sensitive to the feelings of others despite how she pretended not to be, had to sigh before finally sitting up in bed and turning to Rikku's hopeful, questioning eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about," she assured, her tone as soft and velvety as always. "Things are the way they are and I have to deal with that." Her warm eyes fell away, clouding over in what Rikku guessed was tired uncertainty.

"But how?" she asked, innocent enough. "Doesn't it… bother you to see Chappu?" Because the blonde had long since heard about the history that had been between him, her, and Wakka.

"Of course it bothers me," Lulu replied. "But there's nothing to be done about it. No matter his state, he's still dead and I'm still alive. When I leave this place," because most of them were hoping to eventually, "he cannot come with me, so what point is there in becoming attached? I've been through that pain once and I don't desire to go through it again."

"Oh…" Rikku said quietly, her eyes focused on the dirt. "But… what about Wakka?"

"What about Wakka?"

"Well… you sound like, if it were possible to get Chappu back, you would. Where does that leave Wakka?" Lulu narrowed her eyes questioningly. "It just… doesn't seem right that, were Chappu to be alive again, you'd leave Wakka. He… he deserves better than that…"

"I never said I would leave Wakka," Lulu replied a little too defensively.

"Well, who is it you'd rather be with?" Rikku asked the main question. "Even if you could never have Chappu again, the fact that you'd leave Wakka for him says a lot about how much you really love him." Or so she was figuring.

Lulu's reaction wasn't what Rikku had expected. Chuckling lightly to herself, she seemed to cast the younger woman a condescending stare, which caused Rikku to huff. "You say things as if it's that simple; that black and white. If Chappu came back, I don't know that I'd leave Wakka for him. Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. The heart is a fickle thing. At this moment, however, I have no intention of leaving Wakka, nor do I want to.

"Love isn't something that's measured, Rikku. I can't love Wakka any more or less than I did— _do_ —Chappu. Love is a choice, not a box to be filled."

Rikku, who hadn't expected such logic, was left to consider her words, and a new perspective. Though, what with Lulu being Lulu, she should have expected that, even in this stressful of a situation, she'd be able to keep her head. She wasn't under any delusions, or confused. She was just hurting, which made her want to be alone. There was no wrong in that.

"What about you?" Lulu asked her then. "I'm not the only one dealing with the weight of my heart, I think."

"What do you mean?" Rikku asked in abrupt confusion.

"You spend an awful lot of time with Auron lately," she commented, quite more knowingly than Rikku appreciated.

"Auron?!" she asked, honestly aghast. "You can't be serious…"

"Can't I?" Lulu smiled some to herself. "If I didn't know any better… well, with the way you're constantly following him around."

"I 'follow him around,'" Rikku made air quotes with her fingers, "because I'm trying to give you and Wakka, and Tidus and Yunie, space. Who else am I going to talk to?" Lulu's expression never lost that knowing glint however, Rikku's shoulders dropping in irritation. "I don't like Auron."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean 'why not?'" Rikku huffed. "Because he's a grumpy old man that spends more time insulting me than taking me seriously." Her arms slammed down across her chest. "All I do is try to be nice and, you know, start conversation, and he's always got something to say against me."

"You sound awfully defensive over the whole thing," Lulu countered. "The way he treats you, that is."

"Of course I'm defensive about it!" she claimed easily. "He doesn't have to treat me that way…"

"You're the only one he treats that way, you know," Lulu reasoned. "If he really disrespects you as much as you say, he's singled you out." Because he treated all of the rest of them, even Tidus and Wakka, with general civility. Though sometimes he did get rather fatherly toward Tidus.

"And that's, what, supposed to be a compliment?"

"That's for you to decide." Lulu shrugged. "Though I think you know Auron well enough to understand his personality at this point." And despite how Rikku sulked, she didn't have to say anymore. Once again faced with her recent epiphany about Auron's behavior, she wondered, what, exactly, he thought of her.

"Love is a choice," Lulu repeated.

"So, what, I have to choose to like Auron? Maybe I don't want to." Because he certainly didn't seem like the type she'd ever imagined herself with.

"No, but you have to choose to at least take a chance," she continued. "For all your talk about wanting to be with someone, I don't see you making any efforts. Love doesn't just fall into your lap, you know. It takes hard work and persistence. Even Tidus and Yuna have had to choose. There's no luck about it."

"You don't make it sound very romantic," she droned.

"Which only proves all the more that you don't know what romance is."

"Tell me then," Rikku practically dared her, Lulu sighing as she considered the notion.

"Romance is…" Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "personal. It's something the rest of the world doesn't see. Not confessions and gifts, but everything that happens between two people that no one else will know. The things that matter to you no matter how trivial to someone else. Those are the things, when you look back, that will seem important." Because Lulu had loved and lost and loved again. She knew, through the good and bad times, what was important and what wasn't. "I suggest you start considering what's really important, Rikku, and not what you expect. I think you'll see more than just a 'grouchy old man.'"

"What? You think that Auron… that Auron likes  _me_?" She couldn't even fathom the idea.

"I'm not saying anything," Lulu shrugged. "It's your choice how you want to see things."

"You're not helpful."

"I didn't know I was supposed to be." She smiled softly.

Rikku frowned.


	13. Abandon

The following morning brought more bad news to the group.

"Paine is gone," Lulu had announced upon leaving her tent, addressing everyone who was already up. Word travelled fast and soon all had gathered around the makeshift fire pit. Everyone, that was, except for Paine. "I heard her get up this morning, early, and thought she'd be back," because there were some things one  _had_  to leave the tent to get up and do, "but she never did."

"Well, where'd she go?" Rikku asked, arms crossing over her chest suspiciously.

"Probably to alert whoever she works for that we're coming before we get there," Auron explained.

"I'm supposed to be escorting her…" Chappu frowned.

"That's not good though, right?" Wakka asked, clearly uncertain as to whether he should be concerned or not.

"I don't know whether it's good or not," Auron replied, eyeing both Chappu and Lenne critically. "It was made clear to me last night that there's hostility between the Convent and the dreams." Still he looked to the only two memories among them. "If we're to understand what's happening here, we need the cooperation of both sides. Odds are, the dreams will be very interested to speak with us."

Both Lenne and Chappu's expressions had darkened considerably.

"The dreams can be very unrealistic about the situation," Lenne started critically. "They're not very cooperative about anything we're trying to do."

"They feel the same about you," he countered. "Though we travel to see the Prime Summoners, I will not elect to choose Yuna's opinion. You've been a very helpful guide to us Lenne, but that is where our loyalty ends. You should be aware of that." He wasn't being mean or cruel, just factual, Lenne's lips pursing in response.

"Well, I'm not too worried about it." Chappu shrugged. "Seeing as we don't even know where Yuna is." He didn't seem at all distressed about Paine's absence, which told the others that though he'd escorted her, he hadn't done it by choice. That she had escaped to make her report without him not only said volumes about the relationship between the memories and dreams, but also how much more complicated this was likely to get.

"I'm still worried about her," Lulu mentioned with a look toward the silent, looming mountains. Something inside her just couldn't be satisfied without looking. Yet the logical part of her agreed with Auron that it likely wouldn't do any good. If Yuna did go looking for them herself, she'd head in the direction they'd originally intended. To Remiem.

"And Tidus too." Rikku frowned. Tidus, however, was an entirely different idea that none knew quite how to worry about. Certainly he was both less vulnerable and more vulnerable than Yuna in the same motion, but he was also the dangerous one. A danger to himself as well as Yuna, and could only garner so much sympathy because of that. Not to say they weren't concerned, but it was difficult to really feel for a giant destructive monster that wouldn't hesitate to kill them all.

Yuna's safety was much more relatable.

"We have to keep moving," Auron decided against the trickles of worry leaking into their resolve. If they kept pushing onward, it'd feel like they were striving for something. If they could do that, then Yuna's disappearance wouldn't seem like so glaringly an issue. Standing around worrying over her would accomplish nothing.

Auron didn't like doing nothing.

Thus, despite Paine's leaving, they had soon gathered up their things and were moving on once more, the mountainous coast now both before and behind them. Deep into the range, they ran into less fiends, but they were stronger, older, and provided far greater a challenger. What few souls had died up there had been given years to mature (or so they were remembered). Lenne did a good job at trying to keep up with the healing, but they all found themselves missing Yuna even more. And Tidus as well. The faster fiends proved elusive and skittish, Rikku chasing them down as best she could, though it was difficult to take them as she lacked Tidus' upper body strength. Once she got their attention, usually Lulu and Wakka could aim well enough to take them down. Chappu tried to keep up, but his bulk just couldn't get into the fray as swiftly as Tidus.

Their progress was slow and tiring, the walk a constant uphill battle both literally and figuratively.

By the time they stopped for lunch, they were all quite exhausted already and feeling as though they'd made very little progress. The scenery hardly changed where they were, the pine trees having crowded closer to the cliff-laden coast—as though trying to push them over the edge. The trees loomed above their heads, casting deep shadows as the sun made attempts to slowly move beyond them.

Having come off the edge, they were eating among the trees, Rikku having propped herself up atop a fallen trunk and was looking down at them all as she ate her dried, tasteless soup. Lulu was attempting to educate Lenne in better control of her magic—to do so menial tasks as light a fire or cook without the blasting consequence that occurred when attacking fiends. Wakka and Chappu were dancing around a log, throwing fists at each other's faces and only managing to dodge each other some of the time.

Auron sat alone, his back to the group as he stared off through the trees. Despite how she tried to reject the thoughts, Rikku found Lulu's conversation from the night before inching its way into her brain. The more logical, cautious part of her reasoned that it didn't matter what had been said, Auron was a dream and would likely be gone when this was all over with. She didn't like thinking that way though, mostly for Yuna's sake, which led to her belief that if they found a way to save Tidus, so too would they for Auron.

Yet, such thinking didn't aid her in avoiding Lulu's implications.

To be honest, she really  _hadn't_  ever considered Auron in that way before. Sure, he looked young again, and maybe he acted a little less stiff than he'd used to, but all she'd ever entertained was being friends with him. Or trying to be (he didn't make it easy). That Lulu thought she should look at him with more in mind, or that he liked her at all, seemed completely ridiculous.

But now that she was forced to face the prospect, she found herself asking "why?" Why did the thought of Auron being interested in anyone, not even her, seem so, well, strange? She knew why, however. Because when they'd been on the pilgrimage together, he'd seemed so far beyond that, so focused on his goals, that his humanity hadn't really been considered. And rightly so. He'd been an unsent—they were only capable of thinking about so many things.

Now, he was more alive than he'd ever been, a fact she was finding herself reminded of more and more. He tried to hide it—tried to act like he had before—but with his humanity returned to him, it surfaced more often than not no matter how he fought it. And perhaps during the pilgrimage it'd been impossible for him to care about anything other than his self-proclaimed mission, but the situation had since changed.

She'd never considered such during their travels together previously, but abruptly she wondered if he was lonely. If his own social inadequacies left him more standoffish than he wanted to be. Then again, she could also imagine that he was just fine always being on his own. Despite his griping though, he did tolerate her conversation most of the time, which maybe said more about him than she was giving due credit.

If what Lulu said was true, and he had singled her out—that his meanness was the result (very childish)—then she supposed she should investigate further. The notion left a weird tightness in her stomach. It didn't feel like excitement—more akin to discomfort. Because, again, she'd never thought of Auron that way and it was rather difficult to alter her mindset. If that was a good idea at all.

Eyes narrowing, she didn't stop herself from critically staring at him from her position above their heads. She supposed, now that her judgment was un-clouding, he really wasn't that bad looking. Actually, he was pretty good looking. In a serious, stoic, stiff kind of way. His face was severe; thicker, really, than the Al bhed she was used to. However, his strong jawline and cheekbones made up for whatever kind of roundness there might have been. His mouth always seemed to be set in a straight line, and he did sport some facial hair, though his young face didn't seem to wear it as well as his older self had. Mostly, she found herself wishing he'd shave, and glad that when they were in more appropriate places—like cities—he did. Maybe once he was older, he'd pull off the scruffy look, but as of then, it just made him look tired. There was no gray in his straight, pulled back hair, a few strands hanging loose around his eyes. And he didn't hide behind a giant collar as he'd used to, Rikku wondering quickly if he'd once been ashamed of the scar streaking down one side of his face. It was gone now, but she'd remembered wondering how he'd gotten it—back when the story of his demise by Yunalesca had still been unknown to her.

It wasn't like he was out of shape either. A little less set in his stance than maybe he'd once been, he still carried himself in that proud, dignified manner that no amount of pushing could displace. He'd seen many things after all—his young face a betrayal to what he really knew. Which was another fact that led Rikku to doubt. Maybe he looked only a little older than her, but that didn't change his actual age.

Yet, what did age  _really_  matter anyway? Or maybe she was just asking herself that so she didn't have to make an excuse.

Before she could reason with herself further, her gaze gave her away. Having felt eyes on him, he turned to look up, ever suspicious. Rikku only stared back harder however, her lips pooching together as she made an obvious show of looking directly at him.

He stared back for a few moments, growing more and more displeased as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, lips pursed, he pulled his gaze away again. Following—as if feeling pulled away with his eyes—Rikku dropped down from where she'd been sitting and landed skillfully atop the needles below.

Pausing for only a moment, she determinedly straightened before skipping her way over to him. Despite being so close, he didn't look up. Not even to the equivalent he'd looked at her moments before. Eyes narrowed, Rikku sat herself down on the large tree trunk beside him, hands situated under her butt as she did.

Still, he continued to ignore her, Rikku scooting closer. Until only inches remained between them, her nose beginning to scrunch as she practically glared. And finally, hand pausing on where he'd been polishing his sword, he looked pointedly down at her.

"What?"

Rikku glared harder.

Taking her look only a second more, he shook his head and returned his attention to his weapon, clearly deeming her too ridiculous to question any further. Or so Rikku assumed.

She gritted her teeth. "Why're you always so mean to me?"

Auron huffed, already clearly irritated with her. "I thought we were done with this."

"I'm serious," she pressed. "I get that you're not very good with people," a comment that drew his attention beneath a quirked brow, "but why are you mean to me, specifically?"

He didn't give an immediate response, once again watching her. "Why do I get the feeling you're fishing for something specific?"

"Just answer the question!"

He scoffed, even more irritation tightening his expression. "Probably because you're obnoxious." Deeming her demanding attitude beneath his attention, he stood, shaking his head as he walked away. Rikku stared at him, taking note that he never turned to look back.

No, Lulu was wrong, or so she decided. Auron didn't like her.

Not. At. All.

Displeased despite herself, Rikku yanked her hands out from under her butt before crossing them over her chest. Glancing around the clearing, she purposefully ignored the direction Auron had gone, her attention eventually falling on Wakka. Who was alone.

Chappu had left him—had walked over to where Lulu and Lenne were sitting, preparing lunch. And Wakka, who kept his distance, looked to be purposefully ignoring the scene as he drew in the dirt with a stick. Sour feelings over Auron leaving her, Rikku frowned. Sympathy welled up in her chest and, bouncing from the tree trunk, she made her way over. Maybe Auron thought she was annoying, but she and Wakka got on just fine. The least she could do was try and cheer him up.

"Watcha doin'?" she asked as she crouched down beside his sketching, not surprised to see that it was just a random display of loops and lines. Wakka's expression was clearly distracted, even as he looked at her. The distance cleared from his eyes immediately however, as he was always more apt to pay attention to what was directly in front of him than anything else.

"Nothin.'" He shrugged, dropping his stick as he did. Rikku saw the way his focus wanted to drag across the clearing to the group by the campfire, but he stopped himself short, faltering.

Rikku's frown deepened. "Wakka," she started, far more serious than when she'd bounded over to him. "Why are you just sitting over here, alone?" He didn't initially respond, Rikku then continuing whether he really understood her meaning or not. "You should be over there." She gestured with her eyes toward the group. "Lulu probably wants you over there."

Wakka was shaking his head, even before she'd finished. Not as though he were disagreeing, but more so in defeat. "You don't get it, ya? So just…" He waved it off, the gesture probably a little angrier than he'd intended.

"Well, then," Rikku said firmly as she sat down on her butt in the dirt, legs crossed, "explain it to me."

He appeared skeptical, but she remained stubbornly expectant. And after a sigh—because Wakka was never one to put up much of a fight—he picked up his stick and began poking at the dirt once more.

"It was always Lu and Chappu," he started, Rikku listening intently. "We were all there, sure—me, Yuna, Lu and Chappu. From the beginning, it was them. We'd all go out together and Lu and Chappu would end up off on their own, ever since we were kids. That's just the way it is."

Rikku furrowed her brows, considering his short explanation as he poked rather violently at a small rock. "But… you didn't want it to be that way?"

He shook his head. "Me and Chappu, we known Lu since she came to Besaid. He just… he was the one that got her. She never wanted me. Not until after he was gone. Second-best, ya know."

"Wakka…"

"It's true." He smiled brokenly up at her, his expression taking on that gentle touch it only adopted when he was really, truly upset. Which didn't happen that often. "I'll just stay out of the way. That's what's best. 'Sides, not like Chappu's gonna…" Going to what? Live? Be with her forever? Rikku knew what he meant.

"Yeah, but…"

"I'll just pick up the pieces when he's gone, ya? Like always." Bitterness. Rikku didn't like it when Wakka was bitter.

"I don't think that's how Lulu feels about it," she murmured, trying to offer him as much comfort as possible in the same moment. "She loves you, Wakka. I know she does."

"She loves him too," he acknowledged. "It's alright." Again with the broken smile. "I understand. I mean, we're the same, me and Lu." Rikku was further perplexed then. "We both just… love something we can't have. She wants him, and I always wanted her. But she'll never really have him, and I'll never really have all of her. It's okay. I know that. I always known it."

"But it doesn't have to be that way," Rikku persisted, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. "I talked to Lulu. She said she didn't love Chappu any more than she loved you, just that the love was different. That… that she was happy with you, really. She doesn't want to be with him."

And there it was again. That look everyone was always giving her, like they all knew so much better than she did. Sympathetic and patronizing in the same moment. From Wakka, even.

"It's not that simple," he explained. "I know Lu loves me, but she also loves him. She always will. Don't matter how much she loves me, that'll always be true. And there'll always be a part of her that belongs to him. Just like there'll always be part of me that's a little hurt that it does. It's not bad, just is." He looked back at the group again. "And I love her too much to get between them."

"But they won't ever be together," Rikku argued, not understanding. "So why don't you go over there and fight for her?"

He was already shaking his head. "There's no fight," he continued. "We all already losen. No." He sighed. "I'm not gonna get in the way. I know how this'll end, and so does she. I'll be here, when she needs me. That's good enough."

Rikku still didn't understand, her gape making that clear enough, to which Wakka huffed in response.

"What good would it do," he continued, "to fight, ya? Lu already hurtin,' Chappu too, and me. Nah. Too much pain already." Dropping his stick, he stood, looking rather relaxed despite the sorrow etched into the creases of his face. "Love's not about winnin' or losin,' just about bein' And lettin' be. That's it." Casting her one more of those patronizing smiles, he shrugged his big shoulders before turning away. Heading over to the leaf pile he'd accumulated previously, he began to weave them skillfully together for their lunch bowls, once again sitting in the dirt as he did.

Still somewhat flabbergasted, Rikku continued to gape, her eyebrows scrunching closer and closer as she did. Quite frankly, she'd never imagined that Wakka could be so cryptic. She had the feeling there was some kind of wisdom in his words, but she couldn't figure it out. And he wasn't nearly as good at explaining as Lulu was. She just didn't get it, how they could both be so okay and yet so distraught over the situation all at the same time.

Why didn't they do anything about it?

Standing suddenly, her mouth clamping shut somewhat harshly, she pulled her attention from Wakka and to the campfire group once again. Lenne was concentrating, staring at the fire with her hands hovering around the pot. Chappu and Lulu sat on the same log, shoulder to shoulder as Chappu pulled Lulu's hand up. There was a stick in her hand, and he appeared to be showing her something. He was smiling, and so was Lulu, Rikku struck by how young and carefree she abruptly appeared. Her expression was shining, her eyes staring up at Chappu as though he were this sparkling entity she could hardly reach.

It was an expression that made Rikku so uncomfortable that she had to look away. Like Chappu was just so bright a star that Lulu was simply drawn in. It was a look Rikku had never seen placed so before, and it struck her as being beyond anything she could fathom ever seeing on Lulu's face.

Backing away some, she leaned against a tree, biting her lip as she stared down at the dirt. Lulu's expression, Wakka's words, her own questions, they kept running around and around in her head, chasing but never catching. She didn't get it, the whole situation getting more and more baffling the longer she was left to it. Because Lulu's explanation the night before hadn't been all that enlightening either, and Wakka had only made it worse.

Why weren't they fighting for it? Like Tidus and Yuna. Because they were fighting, weren't they?

 _Weren't they_?

Beginning to get a headache, Rikku forced herself to look up yet again. And as she did, maybe, a bit of the fog cleared. Because Chappu was laughing, he and Lenne poking at the stew with the stick now, side by side. Lulu was watching them, a soft smile on her lips as she did. For a moment, Rikku imagined Yuna where Lenne was, giggling on the beaches of Besaid.

Because then Lulu got up. She watched them a moment longer, arms crossed under her breasts, before she eventually tore her eyes away. They went immediately to Wakka, who was still focused on his bowl making. Without a moment's pause, Lulu made her way over. She sat down beside him, the two sharing a few words as she did.

And then his arm reached around her shoulders, and she leaned her head against his collar. And they sat, silent, as if the whole thing were completely and utterly ordinary.

Blinking, Rikku took a deep breath, some of Wakka's words making a bit of sense. It'd been Lulu and Chappu, he'd said. They'd always gone off together. But, somehow, Rikku had the feeling that wasn't quite the whole equation. Because Chappu left.

And whenever he did, Lulu went to Wakka. Because Chappu…

He  _always_  left, didn't he?

"Love is… peculiar." Auron's deep voice nearly caused her to jump. Flicking her attention to the left, she saw him standing a few feet away from her, his sword tip in the ground as he rested his hands on the top of the hilt. He was watching the others as well, intent despite how Rikku had turned to him. His commentary took her a moment to digest, the simplicity of it seeming to jumble in her head. But once she'd sorted it out, she supposed that, perhaps, the assessment had more to it than it appeared.

Or maybe it was just able to skim the surface of something no one could ever really understand.

In that moment, she found she was the bitter one. "I'm starting to think that's the only thing about it that anyone actually knows, for sure." Pushing herself away from the tree, she turned from him, walking away and completely unaware of the way he'd stared after her, fleetingly, before returning his gaze to the camp.

**oOo**

She slipped.

Hissing, Yuna reached down to her knee, which had skimmed the jagged stones when one of them had cracked out from beneath her feet. Feeling the warmth of blood there, she used the little energy necessary to quickly heal the wound before looking up once again. The path was steep, and she was just making her way over a rocky hump blocking the way. It was a rough trail, but Leviathan's initial direction was the only lead she had, and so she was going to take it. Even if she had been trekking into the mountains all day without any sign of him.

Climbing up and back onto a somewhat smoother path, she stood fully, doing her best to ignore the way her whole body ached with strain and hunger. Admittedly, it'd been pretty stupid to leave without food, but when weighed with everything else, Yuna still felt it had been best. If she'd gone back, her friends would have wanted to go with her, and that would have put them in danger—that was, if she ever came across Leviathan again.

But one day was nothing, and she'd been through much worse. She knew how to survive, and she'd continue to do so until she found Leviathan—even if her search took her all over "Spira." She just hoped that she could reach him before someone else did.

The trees were thick, planted securely in the dirt outside the rocky patches. But where trees grew was flat, and Yuna needed to head up, so she was often times caught outside their piney branches, the sky slivering in above her. It was growing dark, however, and she knew she'd have to stop soon. She didn't have a tent, but she could probably start a fire with her small knowledge of black magic. It was colder here, in the woods and among the cliffs, and as the sun sank below the horizon, she could feel the way the chill shivered up from the trunk of the trees.

Stopping, she stood in the quiet for a moment, the fluttering of night birds the only sound above her head. Beyond, there was another large outcropping of rock, which would take good vision and steady feet to climb, neither of which she'd have as evening continued to settle in. Sighing some, she spotted a rather flat patch of ground against a mossy tree before sitting down. Leaning the back of her head against the trunk, she closed her eyes and listened.

Not to the wood, but to what was beneath it.

Periodically throughout the day, she'd tried doing the same, hoping to get a spiritual lead off of Leviathan, rather than a physical one. But she encountered the same thing every time—the heavy, weighted, suffocating claustrophobia of sleeping souls that refused to make way for her. Even if Leviathan had been screaming out, she wouldn't have been able to hear him.

Opening her eyes once more, she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms, chin on her knees. Above, the sky was slowly edging of orange, inky blackness leaking forth.

Her thoughts were carried back to what she was doing, or trying to do. She wanted to keep her friends safe, and Leviathan safe, and had thought that keeping them separated was the best option. But what if she didn't find Leviathan in the mountains? Would it have been smarter to take the others with her?

No, she had to do this on her own. They weren't her guardians anymore, no matter what they claimed. Guardians were for summoners, and she was no summoner. Just as the dead summoners they'd met weren't what their namesakes claimed. A title, nothing more. Yet something everyone seemed to think was more important than it was. Even Tidus.

Because what could she do about any of this, really? They called her a high summoner, but what did that even mean? Other than that she should be dead, but had lived?

Perhaps that had been the appeal of a High Summoner. Of meeting Sin and facing a worthy end. So they didn't have to live on with the emptiness.

"You're letting your thoughts get the better of you, child."

Starting, Yuna glanced up, already reaching for her staff. But as she looked around, she saw no one. Which wasn't comforting in the least. Standing, she armed herself, a spell on her fingertips.

"Be calm," the voice, for "who" it was she didn't know, continued. "I mean you know harm." It was a smooth, haunting kind of tone, echoing of age.

"Where are you?" Yuna was not afraid, however. She feared little, and a mysterious, bodiless voice was hardly high up on her list of things to be wary of.

It chuckled. "Confident. I suppose I should expect no less from a high summoner." Staff still in hand, Yuna chose to stay silent. "And wiser, too, than most. The value of silence is a hard lesson to learn." Pause. "Yes, you've seen much in your travels."

Yuna's staff lowered somewhat, her nerves less on guard as curiosity began to trickle in.

"I've seen what you're looking for," the voice continued, seeming to come from all directions and none in the same moment. "But you will never find it. Not like this. Not while you allow your fears to control you."

"I have been controlled by many things," Yuna countered steadily, "but fear was never one of them."

Another short chuckle. "It is our defensiveness against fear that allows it to control us. Know, child, that there is a difference between being fearless and having courage. Both can temper wills of steel, but only one is fueled by ignorance."

Yuna pursed her lips, stiffening some at what was being implied. "But ignorance can be cured with understanding."

"Mmm, yes, but the more knowledge we have, the more we have to fear."

Above, the night sky was finally taking root, Yuna uncertain that, even if the bearer of the voice was within ten feet of her, she'd be able to see it. Especially if it didn't want to be found.

"You concern yourself a great deal with what you see, instead of what is really there. Many men claim that that which they cannot see does not truly exist, but you have lived a life that should tell you otherwise."

"I do not believe the words of men," was Yuna's quick reply, "which seems to sully reality."

"Such distrust. Though, perhaps you cannot be blamed. It is through men's words that they believe understanding to be born. What do you think of the understanding that was afforded you—that has brought you to stand here, now?"

"I do not… understand the question…"

"Certainly not. Tell me this, then. Do you believe that ignorance has its own virtues?"

Yuna didn't respond immediately, the question rolling around in her head despite the absurdity of the situation. But this voice, it'd claimed to know what she was looking for, so she had to take any lead—no matter how shallow.

"I believe that ignorance has its place, so long as the ignorant realize that they are so."

"Does that not defeat the purpose?"

"No. To be willfully ignorant is… a comfort, to some. To be so without that knowledge, however, is to be fooled."

"Is this how you view your past?"

"There are many things about my past that I regret."

"You are very young, to have so many regrets—especially when you once lived by claiming to have none. What it must feel like, to regret the wrongs of others against us, which is out of one's own control." Yuna didn't respond, her hands gripping her staff a little tighter. "But it is not your regrets that have taken you here, though they weigh on you. What  _has_  brought you here, to these woods?"

"You claimed to know."

"I know of what you search, but intention and reality are two very different things. I ask you again, what has brought you here?"

"I… I brought myself here," she replied, uncertain. "Is my search not an equivalent?"

"To search is to be mindfully aware. But to be brought is to be forced. Why do you search?"

"I search because I have to. Because if I don't, I'll lose what I'm looking for. I… He's depending on me."

"Dependence is selfish. Why should he depend on you?"

"Because if I don't help him, then he'll be lost."

"To be lost is to have the desire to be found. Are you lost?"

"I…"

"He has no thoughts of you."

"That is because he's out of control," Yuna explained, pushing back on the irritated temper that was beginning to seep forward. "Please, if you know where he is, tell me."

"He does not want to be found, and cannot, therefore, be lost."

"He's out of control of himself. Please."

"Then he is no different from anyone else."

"If you've seen him, if you know where he is, then I beg you tell me. He is a danger to himself."

"Much like you were, once."

"This isn't about me."

"You pull the wool over your own eyes." A comment for which Yuna could find no response. "You were fearless, once, even in ignorance. But now… now you feel nothing  _but_  fear."

"I'm  _afraid_  of losing him."

"You are afraid of losing yourself."

The silence that rang following was clear, as if the weight of whatever presence was there had been lifted. And Yuna, abruptly feeling as though she were completely alone, wondered if perhaps the source of the voice had been trailing her for some time. The breeze was colder, and the wood seemed suddenly larger and far less forgiving than it had only moments before.

"Do not fret, I have not left you." The voice was solid then, and Yuna was able to decipher a location. Whipping her head to the left, she peered through the darkness, her heart beating faster as a single shape began to form out of the darkness. As if shedding the shadows themselves, it moved forward. Until the moonlight broke from the clouds and streaked down between the trees, lightening the wood.

"Who… are you?" Yuna could think of little else to ask.

The face smiled. "I am no one you know, and so a name would do you little good."

"Then… what are you?"

"I am a woman, a dream. A soul, a fayth. A creature, a fiend, and a monster. I am whatever you want me to be, or maybe even nothing at all." She had the figure of a woman, long, blue-black hair falling to cover her bare chest. Her whole form was naked, skin appearing almost like paper were it not for the earthy tone hidden somewhere beneath it. Faded veins, like those of tree branches, skittered over every piece of her, and black eyes, completely without white, stared, unblinking, through the moonlight. She was thin, but sturdy, much like the trees that stood tall around her. "But you did not come here to define me. I know, well enough, what I am and what I will be. But you… There is much uncertainty lingering in your eyes. Like a stamp over that which had once been. Or a scar."

"I am not hear to be evaluated," Yuna clarified. "I'm here on a search. If you cannot help me, then please, leave me in peace."

"I mean you no greater harm than you mean yourself. You've asked for help, and so I have come to give it." A response that relieved Yuna slightly. Perhaps the conversation previously had been some kind of test, she couldn't be sure. But it didn't matter.

"Then you can tell me which direction he went?"

"I know not where he is," she clarified, "or where he it going." Yuna's heart sank. "But I may be able to help  _you_  find him, if you allow it."

Yuna furrowed her brows, clearly not understanding. And the woman, spirit, whatever she was, smiled, as if amused by her confusion. But there was little else Yuna could do other than listen. If she could get any information, she'd take it.

The woman kept speaking. "You are a summoner."

"I was, once. Not anymore," Yuna made sure to correct.

"Once a summoner, always a summoner, child." The woman seemed to be standing perfectly still, only her lips moving as she spoke. Yuna couldn't even make out her breathing, and thought, perhaps, that she was more similar to the trees than humanity in general. "Experience defines what we are."

"Even my experience is limited," Yuna said. "I know… much less than I had imagined, about the art of summoning."

"You give yourself so little credit." The woman's head cocked to the side some, a small smile pulling only slightly at one corner of her pale lips. "You are a high summoner. You saved Spira from Sin. Is that not even a small personal accomplishment to be celebrated?"

"I did none of that alone." Yuna knew she deserved the same credit for what they'd accomplished as any of her friends. Perhaps less. She'd known so little, and been practically useless beyond the teachings, which she'd come to find were made up of mostly falsehoods.

"And so your inability to do things on your own should disqualify you from taking due credit?" Why did Yuna feel as though this "woman" was laughing at her? "Endeavors that are attempted alone are always doomed to failure. Certainly you've already learned this the hard way."

Lilac eyes flashed forward from the back of Yuna's thoughts. She'd sought to deal with Seymour Guado on her own and had learned the folly of her attempts. Her whole world had fallen apart as consequence of those actions, an experience she still felt chill her bones when she thought too much on it. On those revealing moments when she'd been caught in Yevon's web.

"Mmm, yes, recovery is slow," the woman continued. "Perhaps impossible. But we all mend. Those scars, we all have them. Live with them. Die with them." She moved then, the motion so abrupt that it nearly made Yuna jump. But she took control before she could, standing taller as the woman moved to touch a nearby tree. "Your trust was betrayed—by your religion, your lover, and yourself."

"Are you reading my mind?"

"There is no need." Still with that slight smile beneath black eyes. "I hear echoes of everything in the trees, in the pyreflies. We are all connected, even in dreams."

"Then you know what this place is?"

"I know many things. Their relevancy, however, is always debatable. You're chasing a dream, are you not?"

"I don't…" Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. "I suppose he… I don't know."

"That is because you refuse to see. You saw once, before the world soiled your vision and made you close your eyes. You still have them closed." Though Yuna couldn't place why, she felt offended by the words. She just couldn't articulate how. "And that is why you can't find what you're looking for."

"I don't understand." Perhaps this was pointless. Perhaps this woman was only wasting her time.

"The fayth, I heard them calling to you, even in Zanarkand, this past year. Yet you did not hear them."

"I do not hear the fayth at all… anymore." Not unless they came to talk to her directly. Or she sought them out, but even that didn't come with the ease it once had.

"Foolish, child. What has changed in you, between now and then, that should silence their voices to you?"

"I'm not a summoner-"

"You  _choose_  not to be a summoner." The woman left the tree, coming to stand still beneath the moonlight once again. "You let fear control you."

"Fear? I'm not afraid of-"

"You're afraid of loss." Pause. "Tell me, before you defeated Sin, what was your definition of a summoner?"

"I didn't know what a summoner really was. I-"

"You avoid the question."

Yuna pursed her lips. "Summoner were… They were Spira's ray of light. Depended upon. Saviors." She shook her head. "That was what Yevon would have had us believe. But summoners, we… we were only containers. For lies and false hope. Without even realizing."

"And now you are empty." The woman took a few steps closer to Yuna, her dark eyes narrowing. "The pain fills that hole, does it not? The one that was left behind? It seems only logical that, when we harbor the souls of others, they should make a place inside us. Whether those souls are literal or figurative. Whether they are fayth or friends, or not even entirely whole."

Yuna didn't like to think about it, didn't want to. She'd seen so many people die, and though the fayth had wanted to rest, it'd been devastating, being cut off from them. She'd never wanted to feel that way again. As if part of herself had died. Only to be followed by her heart being ripped from her chest.

"There is no fault in you for feeling as you do." The woman's voice had become soft. "It is not selfish to feel as though you lost more than you gained when you destroyed Sin. You were raised to die, and never taught to live."

The words had been direct—more direct than Yuna had ever been with herself. Perhaps that was why the surge of emotion assaulted her so suddenly, pulsing forward like a throbbing wound that nauseated her to the point of having to catch her balance. And though she was more than capable of standing on her own two feet, a single, cold, thin hand was placed on her shoulder.

The woman's voice was much closer now. "Being empty is safe, but it doesn't benefit the ones we love."

"I wasn't afraid of anything, once," Yuna muttered, unsure what to think of the fact that the words left her with little in the way of resistance. Perhaps the woman had cast a spell on her, or perhaps she was simply tired. "And then I met  _him_." And so she'd learned of fear, for once wondering what life there could have been beyond the pilgrimage. But she'd prevailed, supposing that, in death, she wouldn't have known the difference. But then he'd abandoned her, and she'd been faced with a fear so debilitating that it still lingered in every thought she had. And only been intensified by everything else she'd lost.

"You want to help him, but you cannot do that until you help yourself." The hand fell away from her shoulder, Yuna peering up to see a soft smile despite the haunted appearance of the woman. "Loss is a fact of life, but is perhaps harder to take for someone who was raised to seek death. Know that none who dream are willingly silent, and none who wish to be found are truly gone. And that all who seek love must also accept loss."

Perhaps, had her wisdom—if that was really what it was—been more substantial, more revealing, then Yuna would have felt more satisfied as the mysterious woman turned, as if to walk away. Instead, she felt as though she'd been left hanging with nothing to go on and nothing to work with.

"Wait," she called, taking on step forward, the woman turning to look at her. "You said that you'd help me."

"Who's to say I haven't?"

Yuna didn't understand.

"You must open your eyes, Lady Summoner, if you're to find the answers you seek. They're there, if you're only brave enough to look for them."

"You act as if I have some fear that is stopping me from finding him," she said somewhat harshly, getting frustrated. "But that doesn't-"

"Fear is always what stops us from getting where we want," she interrupted, tone no colder or warmer than it had been previously. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not… I don't understand."

"You will find your answer once you do. But understanding, that is not something I can give you." She'd turned to walk away again, Yuna reaching out. But before she could even consider stopping the woman, let alone actually doing so, she'd been swallowed once again by the shadows.

And as the silence hung heavy from the trees, Yuna really did realize that she was alone.

For a moment, she stood still, lips parted only a little. Because she was a bit shocked, to be honest. This woman had lead her on, gotten her to believe she could help, before simply vanishing without even a single clue given. Yuna knew she wasn't warranted assistance, but it was still disappointing, if not a little irritating, to be given a carrot before having it yanked right out from under her nose.

If Yuna had little appreciation for anything, it was being dooped by another.

The woman didn't return. There was no sign that she'd even been there. The trees swayed some, their leaves rustling, and owls hooted somewhere to the east. Perhaps there were some bugs clicking, or a stream trickling a ways off. It hardly registered to Yuna. Her disappointment was poignant—that she'd thought she'd been close to something, anything, leaving her exhausted and defeated. Once again collapsing to the ground, she sat for a few moments before leaning back.

There were fiends, and strange women, and other threats, surely, but she found she didn't care. Instead, her hair dragging in the dirt, she stared up at the stars from where she was laying, her staff close to her side.

What was she going to do?

It was the question that lulled her to sleep shortly afterward. Of course there'd been echoes in her head of the woman, and the world she was stranded in, but she'd encountered stranger things. Her focus always fell back to Leviathan, and how continually more hopeless looking for him seemed to be getting. The adrenaline that had initially spurred her to search was wearing thin, and logic, as well as impossibility, were crowding in.

And so she slept, refusing to acknowledge the implications that she probably should have seen before she'd even left.

Her rest was plagued by many faces.

Some she recognized, some she didn't. But there were so many, and they weighed so heavy on her. She tried to ignore them. She tried to look away.

She tried to find somewhere safe, far, far away from them all.

"Back again, huh?" He smiled as she sat down beside him, never blinking his bright blue eyes away. His hair was as choppy as it'd always been, and his blitzball uniform was as dirtied as any guardian's attire was expected to be. Yuna smoothed out her purple skirt some as she situated herself in the sandy dirt, the still water before them reflecting the glowing colors of the wood.

"I like it here," Yuna assured, smiling tentatively. He was grinning back, as always. Like the sunlight in a storm. "You're here."

"I'm always here," he assured, gripping at his ankles, which were folded out before him. "Like I said, remember?"

"Yes." Yuna drew her finger along in the dirt. "Not until the end, but always, right?"

"Right!" He leaned into her, bumping their shoulders lightly before swaying back.

"I'm glad," Yuna admitted. "I don't want things to change. I'd stay here forever, with you, I think."

"Well, what about Sin?" He'd cocked his head to the side, seeming curious. "I thought you just said that, if you gave up your pilgrimage, you'd never be able to forget. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wholly support the idea of you giving it up, but…"

"If Sin is gone, then… then you'll be gone too, right?"

"Hmm, yeah, I guess that's true."

"So we'll stay here, in this moment." Silence, Yuna staring out across the water for a few seconds before finally glancing over at him again. She had to catch a quick breath, her heart jolting in response.

"I dunno, Yuna," he admitted, his voice deeper now. His hair was longer, bandana around his forehead, and she could see the white of his prosthetic arm emerging from his sleeve. "I don't think that I… that I want to stay like this."

"No." She shook her head, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Not like  _this_. Like- like before."

"But Sin is gone," he replied, tone subdued. "And that's good, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"And now I'm Leviathan."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Yuna assured. "We- we could just stay here. Forever. No Sin, no Zanarkand."

"But what about the dreams?" He was shaking his head, staring down at the water's edge. There was no smile. Not anymore. Not like there used to be. "I don't think that, if I gave up on them, on Zanarkand, that  _I_  could… ever forget."

And so the helplessness began to seep in again, and as if touched by a hot iron, Yuna pulled her fingers back from his sleeve. He looked up as she did, blue eyes wide and questioning. But Yuna could only take them for a moment before she glanced away.

"Yuna, please, don't… don't look away. I don't know how I'll go on like this without you."

"This has only one end," she said, tone cold. "All of it. We'll never be together. And I don't want to go through that again."

"I thought that we were going to look for a way," he said quietly. "There's always another way.  _You're_  alive."

"But what if there's not? And I can't… I can't lose you again. I'm afraid and I… Sometimes I wish I'd never met you."

There was no need to look up, she knew he'd shied away from her. Like a brush of wind against her skin, she'd felt it.

"I know that I… that I've hurt you," he murmured, "but if you don't believe that there's a way, then I don't know that I can either."

"I just want things to be the way they were before," she muttered, eyes closing.

"Before?" Bitterness laced his words. "With you marching toward your death, separated from everyone? You always were committed. Sin, really, was the only thing you were ever committed to."

His words surprised her. Whipping around, she saw that he'd drifted away, that he was sitting down the beach from her. Or perhaps she'd been the one that had drifted.

"Why…" His focus was on the waves. "Why are you so afraid of me?"

Like an extinguished torch, his words darkened the wood. Or maybe it was Yuna closing her mental eyes that had shut him out, and everything else too, for that matter. She didn't want this. Was it so much to ask, that she just be allowed to live in peace? That they be together without the world being at stake, or one of them sentenced to death?

Could they not just be allowed to exist?

When had she started running?

Legs pumping free of the summoner garb she'd once proudly worn, Yuna was surged from the darkness. As if her stomach had been yanked with a fishing line, she was thrown. She stumbled, the cobblestone beneath her boots catching her hard.

Breathing heavily, she turned, gaping, at what she saw.

It was a city unlike she'd ever seen before. Unlike Zanarkand, and unlike anywhere she'd ever visited on Spira. Yet, somehow, she knew that this place was beyond both. Was older, and this foreign architecture marked that. The tiled roofs, coming in colors like faded red and orange, with their layered, tall style and plaster sides. Adorned corners that turned upward toward the skies. Stone streets, marred with age and the footprints of generations. Yuna found herself on a bridge, the buildings behind her stacked together as they cascaded up the gray, rocky cliffs, green foliage trickling down from the plateau tops. And to her front, over the roofs, was the sea. She could see boats drifting in and out, their sails reminding her dragon's wings. The water was a teal, healthy green, and thousands of people slipped in and out of the docks, between buildings, into markets and hidden walkways.

The loud whirring above her head gave away the presence of airships, and great stone arcs—much like the water arcs that had soured over Zanarkand—branched out above the city, as if to guard the people within. No cars littered the air, and the sky was visible from the ground. Not like Zanarkand or Bevelle. This was no machina city. No, this was a city that had existed long before machina had been brought to its doorsteps.

And as Yuna's gaze fell once more to the bridge, she found she was with a man. He was standing at the edge, his hands resting on the stone railing as he stared out at the foggy, cloud-dragged sea. He was tall, with tanned skin and hair the color of pearls. Privy to only his profile, Yuna saw that his features were soft and thin, cloaked in a heavy green coat. There was a blue bandana holding his hair from his face, and the adornments attached to his jacket reminded Yuna some of the Yevon symbols back on Spira. He reminded her of some of the Yevon priests in his dress, his exposed legs and well-worn boots contrasting enough to set the picture somewhat astray.

Yet, despite the strange symbols and the unfamiliar city, Yun felt as though she knew this man.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was on her lips before she'd even really considered what to say, as if her brain were miles ahead of her. "Can you tell me where we are?"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" His voice was smooth, yet still strict. He struck her as being the type that would only raise his voice if absolutely necessary. Like her father. "The port, the city. The people too. It's unfortunate, then, is it not, that soon it will all be gone?"

"Gone?" Yuna wanted to ask more about the place, about who this man was and where they were, but her mouth seemed to move of its own accord.

"The dream." He turned to look at her, expression straight despite how his amber eyes pierced through her. "This world, which is not real." He looked back out over the sea. "Me, them, all of it. Dreams aren't meant to last. They're not real, and so we must all eventually wake from them."

"How can you be so certain?"

He'd looked to her again, smiling softly. "I know of our fate. The dead have made sure of that. They will find a way, it's only a matter of time. This is not the natural way of things, and I can only hope to keep my people shielded from it as long as possible. Until it's all over."

"You're giving up?"

"What other choice do we have? No, I'm not giving up. I'm accepting reality. There is no point, I think, in arousing the people to the fact of our existence. T'would only frighten them. Best to keep living, and when our end comes, take it then." His smile faded. "We all have an end. Does little good to anticipate when it will be."

"But…" And Yuna had little to say. Because he was right, wasn't he? No one, not even the living, could go on forever. There was always an end. It came no matter how they tried to avoid it, so what point was there in fighting it, really?

He'd looked away again, Yuna trying to think of something to say, but failing. There were words, she had them, but they simply wouldn't come forth. Instead, she dragged her eyes back out to sea, to the ships that slowly swam in on the surfs. Until the teal of the water was pulling her in, and the rushing of the waves was all she could hear. It reminded her of Besaid. Of home, and things she knew. Things she had once thrown away.

The waterfalls, they toppled from the cliffs and to the stones below, their heavy pounding striking her. So different from the steady bridge she'd been on moments before. Vision flashing, she was turning to look around, once again awestruck as the gallons of dropping water shook the deck beneath her feet, making her bones tremble.

Another city, both different and similar to the last. Surrounded by water, it was suspended on bridges, the domed, extravagant buildings seeming somewhat familiar. Waterfalls surrounded their borders, as if the city itself spawned from them. Aside from the rocky beaches in the distance, to which the city also graduated and grew. Unlike the colorful palette of the last metropolis Yuna had seen, this one seemed to glow from the shadows with a stoic, heavy presence. The buildings, though engraved extravagantly and rounded on most sides, were all of a similar gray stone, perhaps carved from the rocky land on both sides. Bridges connected the city from all around, people walking to and fro with a direct kind of intention in their pace. The sky above was a vibrant, chilly blue with only a few white clouds, the water below reflecting it much the same.

A few colorful, slow-moving pyreflies gathered at the water's surface.

"Grand, is it not? Quite a view." Turning her head over her shoulder, Yuna watched as a single man limped up behind her, joining her at the edge of the deck. She could see that he had a steel prosthetic left leg and arm, the two working well enough, though not as smoothly as other such things she'd seen. He was a broad man in a single red jumpsuit, a fur pullover gathering atop his shoulders. His blue eyes were as cold as the city upon which he peered, and his long brown hair was pulled up in a stiff ponytail accented by dread locks. His bangs fell heavily along the right side of his face.

"It is impressive," Yuna agreed. "A city built on the water."

"Economical as well as endearing." He smirked only quickly. "Well-worth protecting, I believe." Struck by his words, Yuna glanced up at him with a furrowed brow, though he needed little encouragement to continue. "They, the dead, seem to imply that this place won't last much longer. That they'll soon have us gone, turned to nothing as if we never were."

Yuna could think of no response.

"I won't have it," he said sternly, jaw tightening. "I won't stand by and let my world be destroyed. No matter its make or substance, I will fight them to the bitter end."

Yuna's tone was hushed. "Even if you have little chance of winning?"

"There is no such thing as winning or losing," he stated, certainty hanging on every word. "There is only this. All we have. What life is there left, if I'm not willing to fight for it? Perhaps the odds are not in my favor, but I will die knowing I tried. I will die, believing in my efforts and the people around me."

"I can understand that." Yuna's voice was steady, certain, perhaps, in her own way.

"If the battle is to be lost, then I will lose it having put in everything that I am. I will not simply allow this place and these people to vanish. There is more to life than it's end, and I will be sure to take any advantage that I can. An end is but a chapter. It's what we find between that truly matters, and I will fight to keep that as long as possible."

"Even if all that is between is fighting?" Yuna asked, reaching out and laying her hand against the stone pillar striking up into the high ceiling above their heads.

"Life is nothing more than a battle. It's when we stop fighting, when we settle for what little we actually have, that we truly cease to live. I would rather fight every day of my life than live comfortably with no passion and no true accomplishment. For the good can only be salvaged once we've been through the worst."

"So I hear," Yuna said simply, the bitterness in her own smile more apparent to herself than anyone who might look upon it. Not that it mattered, she could already feel the way the pounding waterfalls were fading, her legs feeling more solid if not more grounded as she slowly turned and looked up.

There, a window. Tall and open, and allowing for a grand view of the city below. A machina city, though unlike Bevelle and Zanarkand. This city didn't crowd in on itself, as if to push and push until there was no room left, or surge up harshly into the clouds as though to challenge the cliffs and mountains around it. No, this city spread out on the flat, coastal plains like a glittering spider's web. There were many tall, silver buildings, but they weren't harsh or pressed together. Rather, they surged up from the ground as though optimistic in their lonely stature, twinkling in the sunlight that shone down upon the city as though it were a great glass bead or bauble. The green of the plains surrounded it, sinking in through the middle at some points, and the sea rushed forth from the south, as if trying to grab the pretty thing that stood beside it. It didn't seem to be showing off or dominating like other machina cities. No, this place was the sheer product of mechanical prowess and human innovation. The example that was stepping forward in the world; that was striving for the light beyond the horizon.

"I'm pretty fond of that window, myself." A lighter voice, though it sounded as though it might be hiding many things. Slow, and no longer with surprise, Yuna turned to face the man sitting in the sleek, silver chair behind her. "Though I do say," he held up a glass of shimmering red wine, "it does look a fair bit better with a pretty girl standing in front of it."

He winked.

The room was grand. High ceilings, windows open to the landscape outside. Marble floors and steel seats surrounding a white, glass-covered table that stretched near the length of the whole room. The man was on her side of the table, his leg crossed over his knee as he looked her up and down. Spikey blonde hair with a gaze that was an al-bhed green; lilac shirt with red and silver strappings to match. Similar pants and boots. A black patch was stretched over where his right eye should be.

"Care for a drink?" He asked after a pause, gesturing to the bottle and other glass sitting on the table.

"No, thank you." Yuna's voice was smooth, but not cold. Steady, perhaps.

"Pity," he said as he stood, his movements swift and abrupt. "Such a serious expression would certainly look lighter with a little blush added to it."

"I suppose I don't see anything light about the situation to begin with."

He grinned, setting his own glass aside. "Hmm, perhaps not." He leaned back against the table, arms crossing over his chest. "It does seem rather bleak, doesn't it? This whole place, and the people." Expression going bitter, he approached the window while pulling his hands behind his back. "This whole dream business. Makes me wonder what we should do about it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, really, what is there to do?" He sighed. "If the souls, the fayth, whatever they are, stop dreaming, then we're done for. So kind of makes you wonder why it's worth fighting at all, when our fates aren't our own. But I'm not sure I'm comfortable going out without a bang, you know?"

"A bang?" Yuna had turned her attention back to the window.

"Sure. I mean, if we're going to go out, then might as well make a good show of it. I suppose it'd be more… reasonable to be wallowing in my own self-pity, or angry about the whole thing. But, really, where will that get me? Nah. No matter what's to happen, I'm not going to let it ruin what time I do have. Got to be positive. Pessimists never won a war, after all."

"No," Yuna smiled, "I suppose not."

"I'll be sad when it all goes, but, really, nothing lasts forever. Maybe I don't know when the end's coming, but I'm not going to waste my time being bothered by it. I'll do what I can, and that's just going to have to be enough."

"But what if it's not?" Yuna had turned to him with her question, but as she had, the man and the city had seemed to vanish out from under her. Instead, she found herself on a circular platform, vague bulbs lighting its sides. Above her was darkness, a pit of the same below. And before her, seeming to hang from an invisible ceiling, was a machina beyond any she'd ever seen before. It was still, inactive, but forbidding nonetheless.

"They call it Vegnagun." Starting, Yuna glanced over to see a familiar figure standing beside her. Blonde, clad in leather, and eerily similar to Tidus.

"Shuyin…"

"The most powerful machina ever created. They say it has the power to destroy the entire world."

"Who is 'they?'" Yuna found herself not on guard, though curious. Shuyin seemed much steadier than her had when they'd met outside Zanarkand. His eyes were clear, if not determined, and he stood straight and with no hostility.

"It's creators. Those who rule Bevelle—the Al Bhed. Call them what you will, it makes no difference. I don't care who they are, or what they want."

"What do they want?"

"To destroy Zanarkand, and use this weapon to do it. They'll ruin all of Spira, if they keep on like this. But I don't care about any of that." Finally, there was anger in his tone. "I'm not going to allow them to use this weapon. Because  _I'm_  going to use it."

"What for?"

"I'll destroy them. I'll destroy them  _all_." A scowl stretched across his lips, the clarity in his dark blue eyes becoming foggy. "I'll save her." Quite as though he'd forgotten she was there, he hunkered forward, toward the machina. And as he approached its base, its great eyes—which were imbedded into its horned, insect-like head—ignited, staring them down.

"Shuyin, no!" Footsteps. Turning, Yuna watched, wide-eyed, as Lenne came sprinting down the shadowed bridge leading to the platform. "Don't do this!" He hadn't heard her, however. Instead, the haunting sound of piano keys continued to echo around the room, Lenne passing by Yuna without even seeing her.

Reaching the edge of the platform, she spread her arms wide. "You must stop!" She cried, the music coming to an abrupt halt, Shuyin—who was up inside the top-most part of Vegnagun's machinery—finally turning his head over his shoulder to look at her. "That's enough!"

Yuna couldn't help feeling as though she'd seen it all before.

"Lenne!" His surprise was clear, his eyes wide as he stared down at her.

More footsteps.

Backing to the side, Yuna watched as Bevelle soldiers came rushing onto the bridge, armed and intent. Shuyin had leapt back down to Lenne, the two falling into each other with grappling hands as they watched the men come in after them. Watched as they got to their knees, raised their weapons, and aimed.

Lenne and Shuyin's eyes met, the rushed adrenaline of the whole pursuit seeming to reverberate around the whole room.

The soldiers put their fingers on the triggers.

Lenne closed her eyes, a single tear streaking down her cheek. A look of regret flashed only momentarily across her face, Shuyin's eyebrows furrowing as he watched her.

Yuna could have sworn she'd heard the gunshots, and even the sounds of bodies hitting the floor. Like a familiar companion, the intended pushed it's way into her head, her hands coming up to cover her ears as she crouched down and squeezed her eyes closed.

It was an angry roar, however, that broke her from her defense. Gaze flashing up, she gaped as dozens of sharpened, shining teeth barreled forward. Without a second thought, the five identically scaled heads ripped the soldiers apart, sending them flying into the abyss below with the snap of only a few muscled jaws.

A great dragon, dark blue scales rippling, reared its heads back, small drops of red splashing to the platform below as it steadied itself with its great wings, which were protruding from its sharply spiked back. Its tail was still, however, resting beside Lenne, who was rushing up beside it.

"Tiamat!" She called. "Tiamat, we have to go! We have to get out of here!" Reaching out, she touched the dragon along its side, dragging her fingers as she went. As though victim to her touch, the scales dragged away, slipping into a show of pyreflies all around them. For a brief moment, the whole room was aglow, Shuyin seeming to fall out of the net of lights. His hand was in Lenne's, and as though pulled from a curtain, they were running. Fleeing down the bridge leading from the platform.

For a moment, Yuna stared after them, her breath catching before the weight of the room seemed to crash atop her. Struck with adrenaline, she felt sweat rolling down her neck, her hair tossing back as she ran. As she gripped his hand tighter, the darkened halls hardly light enough to see by.

He was pulling her, and though her legs burned, she tried to keep up. Her summoner's skirt was constraining, flapping between her legs and trying to trip her until, when he'd stopped abruptly at an intersection within the corridor, she lost her balance and fell.

"Yuna, c'mon," he murmured breathlessly as he reached down. He pulled her up, his hold somewhat harsh in his desperation to get her moving. She didn't complain, however, as he hefted her to her feet. As he took her hand once more before taking off. She could hear footsteps clattering behind them, and her heart was beating inside her ears.

She didn't look back. She held his hand tighter and tried to keep up.

She tried  _desperately_  to keep up.

Gasping, she felt as though she was falling backward, the darkened halls vanishing as the chill of the night air washed over her. Shaking and unsteady, she nearly fell, but her gaze seemed to keep her on her feet. Stone—she was surrounded by stone. A cave, and a single bedroll lay before a dampened pile of firewood.

There was a man inside the bedroll, his blonde hair poking out the top as he slept.

Lenne crouched down beside him, lightly resting her hand on his cheek before—lips tight as she pushed back the guilt that still flooded her features—standing once again and backing up a few steps. Her eyes were glued to the sleeping man for only a few moments before she ripped her attention away. Footsteps quiet, she escaped the cave, disappearing into the forbidding cold of the mountains beyond.

Yuna tried to catch her breath, but before she could, she was standing out in the snow. They were surrounded, soldiers in dark blue and gold uniforms crowding in on them. Shuyin growled, sword in hand as though me meant to fight them all off on his own.

"I won't go with you!" He shouted. "I have to go after her! I have to stop her!" They were Zanarkand soldiers, Yuna realized. And they didn't care for what he said. Instead, they swiftly came in on him, disarming him before tying his hands behind his back. Shuyin struggled. He tried to fight them off, and did manage to knock down some of them, but there were too many. No matter how he growled or yelled in frustration, they were still able to overpower him. Until his face was shoved into the unforgiving ground and one of the soldiers had raised the butt of their gun. In one swift motion, they knocked him out, Yuna's world blacking out in the same moment.

Within seconds, she was seemingly awake again, though once more somewhere else. Somewhere she'd never been. It was all happening so quickly, and her attention darted around with hastened expectancy of the worst.

"No, I'm not sorry! I haven't done anything wrong!" Shuyin was shouting, his hands gripping the bars as though he might pull them free and escape his cell. "I know you're listening. If she was your girl, what would you do?!" And yet the guard outside the cell didn't so much as turn to face him. "What would you do if you were me?" Still, nothing, and, desperate, Shuyin continued to call. "Let me out!"

Not even a twitch in his direction.

Hopeless, perhaps, and defeated, his legs seemed to give out from beneath him. Shaky and still grappling at the cell as though to futilely try and force his way out, he sank to his knees.

"I want to see her…" Voice broken, his shoulders hunched as he slowly dragged his hands lower. Until he was gripping the bottoms of the rungs, his forehead falling forward and lying against the metal bars. "Please, she'll die. I need to save her. I can't let her die. I can't…"

Like an insect crawling along in the shadows, Yuna caught the slithering motion out of the corner of her eyes. Her breath caught as she did, body going cold as the slinking smoke dissolved out of the floor. Like disjointed fingers, it wove in a black shadowed pool at Shuyin's knees, reaching up and gaining form as it netted itself around him. Yuna tried to say something, tried to warn him, but no words would come. Her throat felt constricted, as if she were slowly suffocating.

The smoke, which had become a series of slimy, disjointed arms, clawed its fingers up and around Shuyin's neck. Long, shining nails pried at his lips, until they were sliding into his mouth, crowding out any speech and leaving inky, black marks in their wake—across his jaws and his cheeks. As if tugged back by the limbs, he began to fall, eyes rolling until only the whites were visible. Whites that began to seep with black.

Yuna was horrified by the grotesque sight, but even as she tried to scramble back, she found she was bound. Fearing the worst, her focus darted downward. Even though she'd anticipated something horrific, what she found wasn't what she'd anticipated.

Bodies. Bodies as far as she could see, beneath a hazy, gray sky. Surrounded in inky black smoke, their blackened eyes turned toward the clouds as invasive fingers covered their lips and prying into their mouths. They floated together, layers and layers, knocking together, lifeless yet tortured. The silence was heavy, bloated, and when one of the bodies would twitch, think to move, the fingers became harsher on their mouths and around their necks.

Yuna was being dragged down into them. Sinking, she was scrambling, trying to push away from the bodies, but she only sank lower. No voice, no breath, her lungs felt like they were being crushed, and the more she struggled, the farther she fell. Until the inky blackness was washing over her, and the sky was becoming only a sliver between bodies.

She was going to die—drown in the blackness.

" _I won't let you die._ "

Macalania. In a time before Sin was gone, when the fayth still kept the wood shimmering and whole. It was a place she'd never forget. A place she'd run to, and a place she'd run from. Where so much had happened, even if sometimes she wanted to forget.

Suddenly, she could breathe.

The sky above was dark, and the small nook hidden by trees was crowded with sleeping bodies, most of them resting in preparation for the journey ahead. All but two. Sir Auron, though he lay to the side, she knew had to be awake. Because the dead didn't sleep, and this was before he'd been a dream. The other… the other sat beside her. Not as she was then, but as she had been. He had his knees pulled up, his elbows resting on them as he watched her. A faithful guardian, protecting even her sleep—no matter how fitful.

But there was pain there, in his clear blue eyes. So much pain, and helplessness, as he watched her. She'd never seen him so, not during the pilgrimage. He'd been her pillar, her support, and she'd never seen his expression so dark and upset. So torn. Because he watched her, and then he glanced away, as if to find some kind of answer in the trees or the stars. But nothing came; it was silent. And so he turned back to her, reaching out to brush the backs of his fingers along her cheek as the agony behind his gaze stretched to his tightening lips.

But the dawn was coming, and he'd slept not at all through that night, a fact Yuna didn't feel she'd realized until that very moment. And as her past self rolled over, beginning to wake, his expression drained. He painted a new picture, the one she'd come to depend on. One of determination and fortitude. The expression that had carried him through to Zanarkand, and beyond.

Eyes opening, she rolled over entirely, to catch him in her sights.

But he wasn't there.

She sat up in the cold, crystalline dirt, looking around only to find that no one, none of her guardians, were there.

She was alone.

Starting, Yuna gasped, her whole body feeling only momentarily nauseated as she blinked up at the lightening sky. The pine trees above her head were still, casting shadows even as morning crept in beyond their bows. Breathing heavily, she tried to force away the fogginess that plagued her sight, images flashing back and forth in her head.

A dream. It'd been a dream. More vivid than any she'd had in a long time.

Once, over a year ago, her dreams had always been equally as vivid. Welcomed as well, and meaningful to a certain extent. A way for her to grow closer to the fayth that had accepted her as a wielder of their power. After defeating Sin, however, such things had stopped. The realness of her dreams had faded until she'd hardly remembered them the morning following.

Sitting up, she still felt slightly dizzy, her head throbbing as she slowly tried to gather all the pieces together. The dirt beneath her was cold, only seeming to accent the heated clamminess of her skin. The nausea was fading, but had she tried to stand, she was sure she'd have lost her balance.

Clearly, she'd slept all night, and yet exhaustion plagued her. As well as hunger.

But more than anything, she was bombarded over and over and over again by the images from her sleep, some more graphic than others. And though she tried to tell herself that it was just a dream, that it meant nothing, something inside her—something she'd thought she'd thrown away—told her otherwise.

And the thoughts made her shiver with unease.


	14. Lessons in Death

To say Rikku was in a bit of a sour mood was somewhat of an understatement. She liked to blame the fact on everyone else, rather than herself. Auron was hardly any fun to talk to, even if he was more responsive than he had been as an unsent. The Chappu/Lulu/Wakka disaster had the three of them in a constant state of either ignoring each other or excluding everyone else, and Lenne had become less approachable upon Auron's announcement that they—and by they, he'd meant Yuna—had no intention of picking sides. To top it off, they'd been walking through the mountains for four days and Tidus and Yuna still hadn't come back.

The only comfort Rikku really had was that they were finally on more of a downhill as opposed to up. Even the ocean view to the north had begun to bore her. Though it was pretty, the ocean and its sunsets could only distract from everything else for so long.

Kicking a stone, Rikku was content to bring up the rear. Auron was in the lead, Lenne trailing, and the other three some ways after that. Which gave Rikku a pretty good view of them. Despite both Wakka and Lulu's "reasoning" (if one could even call it that), she was still in a perpetual state of distaste. Mostly of Chappu. Sure, she was probably biased because she'd never known him, but she really,  _really_  didn't like the idea of him getting between Wakka and Lulu. They'd worked hard to get where they were, and some chump, dead brother/boyfriend shouldn't be getting in the way of that.

No, she shouldn't think such things. Chappu  _was_  Wakka's brother, dead or not, and Rikku couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to lose him. She couldn't stand her brother most of the time and still the thought made her upset. Like when she'd lost her mother, or thought she was going to lose Yunie.

It didn't matter how much she disapproved, it was beyond her. The respectful thing to do was watch from a distance. She could at least scowl then, when nobody would see.

"So you're Yuna's cousin, ya?"

Great, now social-butterfly Chappu had come back to bother her.

"Yeah." She nodded, kicking another stone while attempting to sound civil. Wakka and Lulu were ahead still, leaving whatever semblance of a conversation Chappu was trying to start unheard.

"Still kinda shocked she's part Al Bhed." He was scratching his head similarly to how Wakka often did. "Not that it matters to me, you know?"

"Then why bring it up?" She hadn't meant to sound so nasty, but it'd just kind of come out that way. And when he looked away, clearly uncomfortable, Rikku felt appropriately ashamed. "Sorry…"

"'Es okay," he assured, his smile reminding her some of Tidus. Open, and kind, if not a little thoughtless. "I get it."

His implication caused her to furrowed her brows up at him.

"I'm not quite so slow as my big brudda, ya?" He laughed. "I notice you been givin' me the stink eye since I got here. Not that I care, mind ya. Not like I know you or anythin.'"

"Gee, thanks." Rikku rolled her eyes

He laughed harder. "Hey now, not like you rolled out the welcome rug or nothin.'" He seemed to wave the whole thing off. "It don't matter though, I get it. Really."

"What do you mean?" Rikku pouter her lips a bit, supposing that, so long as he wasn't bothering Lulu and Wakka, Chappu wasn't so bad.

"Why you dislikin' me. Not like I didn't figure out about Lu and Wakka, ya?" Much like Rikku had been, he kicked a small stone, his head bowed toward the ground as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his yellow overalls. "I know they're together. Not like they hidin' it or anything. I'm not tryin' to… get between them, ya know? Just tryin' to be with my brother and Lu while I got the time. Not gonna last forever."

"Yeah, I guess… I guess I understand." Rikku was frowning, her previous resentment chipping quickly away. "Sorry. I really didn't mean to be so nasty." Which was true. Even if her efforts in not being so weren't quite as dedicated as they should have been.

"I forgive you." He smiled, the expression wide and goofy, which made it difficult for Rikku to refuse the same in response. She was much better at being friendly than aloof anyway. Unlike a certain legendary guardian she knew…

"You don't got to worry about Lu, though." He got back on track. "She's better with him. I mean, besides the whole bein' dead thing anyway." He shrugged, Rikku's questioning gaze encouraging him to continue. "Bein' dead, you know," he smiled again, but his lips seemed to falter a bit, "really gets a person thinkin.' Thinkin 'bout who they were, an' who they wanted to be. Everythin' they missed."

Rikku stayed silent, intuitive enough to know that, despite his smile, he was being completely serious.

"I'da been one of Yuna's guardians too, if I'd been around. But… I wasn't. And that's my own doin.' I know that. And I think… I think Lu knows that too. I  _know_  Wakka does." Bitter chuckling. "I was stupid, and foolish, and I paid the price. Too bad I had to make them pay it too. I thought I was doin' somethin' good, somethin' to try and… change things. Made it was more exciting that everyone disagreed with me." He was looking at Wakka and Lulu. "But there isn't anything gallant or heroic in fightin' a battle ya can't win. I wanted to make a difference, but my death didn't mean a damn thing."

"Chappu…"

"It's true." He nodded toward her, smile bitter. "Didn't even know what I was fightin.' Least you guys had the brains to try and figure it out. Nah, I know my place. I know what I did. 'Sides, even if things could be different, couldn't change how things were before. You know," he side-eyed her, "I used to say to Wakka, 'I'll propose to Lu. Once we win the cup, I'll do it.' Besaid never even won a game! Never. Maybe I meant it, maybe I thought I did, but what do words like that mean, ya? She deserved better. Always did."

"Yeah, she does." Hey, if he was gonna say it, she wasn't gonna disagree.

Her response caused him to laugh. Really laugh, like Wakka did. With his whole body, head thrown back and everything. "Too bad I wasn't around, ya? I bet we'd of gotten along pretty good."

"Yeah, maybe." Rikku was grinning too.

"So, uh, since we'd be such good friends and all," he's leaned a little closer to her, "mind fillin' me in an Sir Grouch-a-lot up there?"

It was Rikku's turn to laugh. "Auron? Oh, that's just the way he is. All business, no play, that sort of thing."

"So… he's a dream, though, right?"

Chappu's question seemed innocent enough, really, but Rikku wasn't as stupid as she looked. Auron's discussion days before still rang fresh in her head and, though he was Wakka's brother, that hardly meant anything to her. She wasn't quite sure what Chappu knew and didn't know, and didn't feel secure in volunteering information. Sure, she let her mouth run sometimes, but she was more aware of herself than she let on. And Auron was an important guy, after all.

"Uh, I don't really know." She shrugged. "He never really tells me anything."

"Oh." Chappu leaned back again. "Just thought it was kinda weird, since he's from Spira and everything."

Rikku didn't tell him that it was the fayth. That they were directly in touch with such things, and favored as well. She knew a weapon when they had one.

So she only offered him a shrug.

"Rikku." It was their topic of conversation that called to her, voice as even and unexpressive as was to be expected. He was watching them, standing further up on the path, and gestured for Rikku to come only slightly. Offering Chappu an apologetic smile, she skipped off, wondering what Auron could possibly have to say to her that would warrant him waiting in the rocky road for her to catch up.

"What do you-"

"Look." He pointed down the path, Rikku finally thinking to glance around as she reached the crest of the hill upon which he stood. Wakka and Lulu had already made their way down before him, Wakka "whoaing" as they peered out beyond the edge of a cliff, below which was a sparsely tree-spotted plain, also littered with sharpened rocks jutting up from the dirt.

But what was truly fantastic was the sight beyond the plains.

"That," Lenne explained as Rikku hopped down the hill to stand beside her, "is Remiem."

Gaping, Rikku squinted out at the landscape, aware of the way Auron had come up behind her, yet far too distracted to care.

She'd never seen such a city before. It wasn't small or patched together, like villages of Spira, and it wasn't littered with machina like the other dream cities. No, this place was totally different. Steepled roofs encroached on the plain, colored with orange and red, faded tiles. Their corners turned up, and they were stacked up in layers. Great stone arcs towered above, twining back and forth over the landscape. Behind, they could see the glittering green of the sea, the city seeming to topple and disappear behind the cliffs on which it was built. Above them, only a few airships soured, too far away to make out clearly.

"That… that a machina city?" Wakka had turned to Lenne to ask, his attention quickly returning to the city a second later.

"Remiem is no machina city," she explained, crouching down as she peered out across the plains. "Remiem is an old city. It and its sister city, Baaj, are said to have been the first settlements humans made on Spira."

"So then," Lulu started, having hidden any of her surprise, had she felt it in the first place, "this is a city untouched." Untouched by Sin, by machina. Though there were plenty of other vices that humanity could posses, to those raised under Yevon's false precepts, this was something purer than any of them had ever witnessed, or even dared fathom existed.

"It is a city that seeks to preserve the past," Lenne continued to explain. "There are strict regulations about trade and what technology is allowed in, as well as how it's used. The close-knit buildings hardly allow for vehicles, and no air traffic is prohibited. Though it is a city seemingly frozen in time, its people are proud. And unaccepting of change. They are seekers of peace, and reject any who intend to disrupt that."

"Sounds like a rather isolated existence," Auron commented dryly, seeming the least impressed with the scene.

"Perhaps." Lenne stood again. "They did trade with Zanarkand, to the north. And with Baaj, to the south, which is more open to goods from Djose and Luca. But—and I'm repeating this from what little true history I was taught as a child—their war-ravaged past with Baaj, their now closest ally, has made them wary of conflict."

"Hmph," Auron snorted, Rikku glancing back at him. "They were likely completely and totally unprepared for Sin."

"Yes." Lenne nodded, sighing shortly. "And were likely one of the first casualties in Sin's initial trek from one side of Spira to the other."

And though the city was a pretty sight, Rikku felt her mood dropping by the moment. This place no longer existed in the real Spira. Like Zanarkand, it was probably just a pile of rubble, abandoned even by summoners and untouched for a millennium. Perhaps she should be thankful she got to see it at all, but even this was only "supposed" to be temporary, so, once again, it'd all be lost.

"Come, let's move on," Auron decided, the others sparing only one last look at the city before they continued down the path away from the mountains and into the valley. Skipping ahead of where she'd been previously, Rikku came up beside Auron, who was once more at the head of the group.

"You didn't seem that impressed with it," she commented, once again looking out in the direction of the city as it slowly vanished behind the cliff.

"A city is only a city, no matter how it looks or where it's from. It has all the same people, and all the same secrets."

"Gee, how optimistic."

"You'd do good to view things the same."

"I try  _not_  to pre-judge something before I know it."

Auron pursed his lips, not seeming impressed with her logic. And perhaps he may have continued, had Lenne not come up on their conversation.

"He's right," she agreed as she came up on Rikku's other side, though she offered a small smile despite her negative words. "These are people that are accustomed to peace, and are far more focused inward than anywhere else. They watch out for their own interests above all, because they are not used to having to think beyond such things."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they're all bad…" Rikku was frowning.

"No, but I think it will be a very different place than you imagine," Lenne continued. "I know it surprised even me, the first time I visited. Zanarkand, though it's a place also secluded, is far more open in comparison to Remiem. We have our own rules, of course, but Remiem thrives on such things. It keeps their lifestyle afloat, even if it is sometimes suffocating to those looking for new opportunities. Yunalesca was of Remiem decent." This drew both Auron and Rikku's curiosity, though the latter showed it far more readily. "Her mother, a high born here, married Yu Yevon while his own father yet ruled Zanarkand. It was a… political arrangement."

Auron snorted again. "And so the world goes 'round."

Shaking his head, he went on ahead, not bothering to address the curious looks both Lenne and Rikku were casting after him. And as usual, Rikku felt her annoyance rise at his behavior, grumbling some to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't until she noticed the downed look on Lenne's expression that she wiped her own grumpiness away.

"Hey, don't let him get to you," she said, a bright smile creasing her lips. "Auron's always like that." But Lenne gave her no response. Rikku, however, wasn't one to give up. "Really, I mean it. Like about what he said before, about us not taking sides," this pulled in Lenne's attention, "he's just being careful. That's the way he is."

"I understood what he was saying," Lenne replied. "He's right, I suppose. I don't… I don't know."

"We just want to know the whole story, you know? Yunie, she… she went through a lot because she didn't know everything. And I think Auron's been through that too. That's better, right? Being able to make an informed decision after having all the information? Or, at least, as much as we can get."

"Yes, I suppose that is better."

"I just don't want you to think we don't like you, or that we don't understand where your side is coming from," Rikku replied, reaching up and linking Lenne's arm with her own. The friendly gesture seemed to take Lenne by surprise, but she didn't object. "It's not like we have anything against the dead or the dreams or anybody. We just don't know enough to really trust one group over another. That doesn't mean we have anything against you, just…"

"The organization of it all," Lenne smiled softly again. "Yes, I understand that. I understand that perfectly." She'd believed in a cause and, as a result of not truly understanding, had everything ripped away from her. "What… what happened to Lady Yuna? That you mentioned before?"

"Mmm, well…" Rikku was pondering whether she should really say anything at all, but ultimately decided she didn't have to give out all the details. "Yunie was… a lot like you, I guess. She had a 'cause' and trusted that everyone would help her accomplish it. That everyone wanted the same thing. But someone she thought she could trust betrayed that, and everything that she thought she knew turned out to be a lie. Turned out that not everyone in Spira had the same goal. Defeating Sin wasn't the most important to everyone. And lots of people died because of that difference."

"Sin." Lenne took a deep breath. "I was part of Sin for a very long time, but I don't know much about it, really. I know it was terrible, and that it destroyed anything that got in its way. It's hard to believe, really, that people could be bickering about something else when the whole world is at stake."

"Yeah, but I guess greed will do that." Rikku was suddenly sad, remembering those painful parts of the pilgrimage. Usually she was better at forgetting, but talking about it always brought those memories back. "This person, a man, actually, that betrayed Yunie. He did… many horrible things. He murdered almost all the ronso, chasing us down. And he… he destroyed my people's home, looking for Yunie. So many people died, and it wasn't even Sin that did it."

"You're home?"

"The Al Bhed's home," she explained. "We weren't much liked in Spira before Sin was gone. A lot of people still hate us, actually. So we lived away from everyone else. We didn't follow their rules, I guess you could say, and we wanted to do things differently. And so kidnapping Yunie was used as an excuse to invade our home. We still haven't rebuilt, and even though my dad—he's the leader of the Al Bhed—tries to keep us together, it's hard, when we have no place to go."

"I'm sorry, Rikku."

"Don't be, it's not your fault." She smiled wide, pushing the negativity away. "But that's why I know Yunie will want to know everything before she decides what to think."

"So… what about him?" Lenne nodded to Auron, who was a fair distance ahead of them. "You mentioned that something similar happened to him."

"Yeah. I don't know a whole lot about any of that though. Auron doesn't talk about it much." Should Lenne know Auron's story? She wasn't sure. And she wasn't sure it was wise to reveal such things. Lenne knew Auron was a dream, but did she know anything beyond that?

No, it was probably better not to mention any more. Like she had with Chappu.

"He seems to talk to you a great deal."

"Ha, yeah, because I make him!" Rikku shook her fist threateningly in his direction, causing Lenne to laugh. "Auron doesn't like to talk about his past though, so I don't like to push that subject. Tends to make him grumpier than he already is."

Lenne smiled and said nothing more. Instead, her focus turning to the horizon, she spotted the faraway figures approaching in the same moment that Auron seemed to. He'd stopped ahead of them, his shoulders tensed defensively. Lenne and Rikku came up beside him, going no further, and soon the other three were there as well.

"They're coming for us," Auron said after a moment, as it was clear that the group of six had turned purposefully in their direction. "Do you know them?" He had turned to Lenne.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to come meet us," she replied.

"Then we'd best be on our guard." And so, hands never too far from their weapons, they moved on ahead with Auron. They directed their path at the group, intending to meet the threat head on, if there was one.

When the other group was finally within range of clearly being seen, Wakka gasped, drawing everyone's attention.

"Is that… Is that High Summoner Ohalland?" His question caused them all to do a double take, Auron squinting at the group if only to try and verify if such a thing could be true.

"And High Summoner Gandof," Lulu added, her lips hanging open and awed for only a moment before she snapped them shut again.

"A party of high summoners," Auron said shortly, looking once again to Lenne. "Are you sure you knew nothing of this?" She was clearly as stunned as the rest however, her mouth opening and closing some before she finally found any words.

"The high summoners, Ohalland and Gandof, they're our leaders. The prime summoners. I've… never seen them in person before." She wasn't high enough up on the totem pole. It was only their exploits and their reputations that she was familiar with—much like she had been with Yuna.

"Ah, it is them!" Chappu was gaping outright. "I never met the prime summoners either! I knew who they were, but…"

"And they've come all this way to meet us," Auron grumbled as the groups grew closer. "How generous."

"How'd they know we were coming?" Rikku muttered beside him, not nearly as impressed as everyone else. But Auron merely shook his head, having no answer.

Continuing across the plain, they met the group of six about halfway. There was a soft breeze whistling off the tops of the grass stalks, smelling of salt and fish, and the sun shone down through a hazy layer of light cloud cover.

Upon meeting, the two high summoners, as well as the six soldiers that had escorted them, bowed in the traditional way that followers of Yevon would have been expected to. Lenne was on her knee, doing a rather elaborate prayer—much like she had with Yuna—and, despite the shock of everyone else, Chappu was the only other in their party to return the gesture.

"Come to welcome us, have you?" Auron asked a moment after the formalities were over, his voice cold and undecipherable.

"Of course." Ohalland, behind his white beard and dated, green tinted clothing, smiled. There were crinkles around his eyes, and laugh lines drawn down from his nose. Gandof, by comparison, was a stone statue of complete seriousness. He stood stock-still in his thick, square-shaped, multicolored robes. His lips seemed to be pulled into what might be a permanent frown.

"Word of your coming was sent to us via, the, ah," Ohalland seemed to be searching for the correct word, "the, ah, the…"

"Telephone," Gandof's deep voice offered.

"Ah, yes, the telephone." Ohalland smiled. "Amazing contraptions, really. Who knew machina could be so useful?!" Rikku pursed her lips. "Ah, well, yes, anyway. We were told High Summoner Yuna was on her way, and so we've been watching out for you. Came down to meet you as soon as we spotted you at the edge of the cliff, there. Saw you through the, ah, the… What's it called?"

"Telescope," Gandof replied.

"Ah, yes, the telescope. Funny, these contraptions. Telephone, telescope. Goodness, names."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who must have spread the news. Likely Belgemine had made sure to send word ahead. Unfortunately, or so Auron was thinking, these "primes summoners" were in for a rather rude awakening.

"So, which one of you do we owe the thanks of us all? For ridding Spira of Sin forever?" Ohalland was looking from one of them to the next, Rikku biting the inside of her lip as she toed at the ground.

"I'm afraid to report that," Auron took up the mantle, "the High Summoner has taken leave as of the moment." This was clearly surprising to both Ohalland and Gandof, some of their guards also appearing somewhat taken aback.

"Leave? My, where to?" Ohalland asked.

"Personal business," Auron explained. "She intends to meet us in Remiem when she's finished."

"You're her guardians." Ohalland's expression became shrewd, any of it's previous openness seeming to vanish.

"She elected to take one of her guardians with her," Auron lied, aware of the way Lenne was looking somewhat nervously between the high summoners and their group. After a moment, however, she bit her bottom lip and turned her attention to her boots. But, Auron supposed, he couldn't stop her from elaborating later. "She asked that we move on to meet you."

"I see." Ohalland didn't appear totally convinced, but some friendliness did begin to leak back into his expression. "And you must be Sir Auron, then?"

"I am."

"Quite different than I expected," he replied with a light chuckle.

Auron narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing, but didn't have the chance to question the comment further.

"And I assume that you must be Madam Rikku." He nodded his head in Rikku's direction, the blonde straightening some at being addressed. "The Al Bhed guardian." He made no further comment, Rikku assuming much the same expression Auron had adopted. "And then, of course, Madam Lulu and Sir…Wakka?" He was looking between Chappu and Wakka questioningly.

"Uh, my Lord." Wakka bowed awkwardly, as if unsure how to make his identity known.

"Right. And the two of you?"

"Chappu, Sir." Chappu saluted, hand going to his chest. "Member of the Crimson Squad, Djose, Sir."

"Lenne, your grace." Lenne did another prayer, though this one less elaborate than the last.

"Ah, yes, Lady Lenne, the guide," Ohalland said jovially, seeming to completely bypass Chappu. "You seem to have lost your ward, Lady." He'd winked at her, but the message hadn't gone unnoticed by any of the rest of them.

"I…" And Lenne didn't have any idea what to say.

"But let us not focus on such things," Ohalland continued. "If High Summoner Yuna had personal business to attend to, then certainly she very well should do so. Come," he gestured back toward the city, "let us move on. We'll wait for her in the comforts of Remiem, yes?"

Nodding, Auron accepted the invitation on behalf of them all—despite the heavy feeling hanging in his gut.

**oOo**

"Everyone was so happy. 'Great job, Yuna. You did it. You saved us all.' There were too many smiles to count... and I know that I was smiling, too. But now... when I look back... The people who should be here aren't. The ones who should be smiling with me aren't here.

"'We had no choice.' Always 'we had no choice.' Those are our magic words. We repeat them to ourselves again and again. But you know... the magic never worked. The only thing we're left with... is regret." Yuna had pulled her hand up to her chest, gaze falling to the metal platform beneath her feet as she did. Those with her were silent, listening as she spoke. As intent as she wished everyone would be.

"No, I don't want this anymore." She shook her head, trying to push the pain, the agony over everything she'd lost, back into the hole where she'd buried it. Hidden, where she didn't have to feel it. "I don't want friends to die… or fade away. I don't want battles where we have to lose in order to win." She didn't want a world where the unknown was around every corner, and where understanding was a distant idea. Was it so much that she wanted to live in a place where she could simply be? Where she could see her loved ones every day and not have to worry that they'd be ripped away the next moment? That was possible, wasn't it?

If she was determined enough, then wasn't that enough?

"And the cycle went on." Auron's broken, defeated voice echoed around the cloister, all of them staring on with bated breath as the memory of his past faded. He stood with his back to them at the base of the temple stairs, a heavy silence beginning to descend on them all.

Until  _he_  interrupted it.

Determined, he drew all their attention as he spoke—with more certainty than any of them had ever truly had. "We'll break it."

"But how? What, you got a plan now?" Like what he said was something completely unfamiliar, Wakka disregarded him, almost seeming to snort his derision. Yuna could find nothing to say. Rather, the weight of the world seemed to crush any voice she may have had.

"If one of us has to become a fayth… I volunteer." Lulu completely ignored Tidus' comment.

"Me too, Yuna!" They went on as if he'd never even spoken.

"That still won't change anything, you know?" But he forced his way back in. He hadn't lived in their world of uncertainty and constant fear, and desperation. He could see the light where the rest of them were blind. "You'd bring the calm, and then what? That won't break the cycle."

"Listen…" Patronization—like they'd actually known better. "You wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive… You don't want Sin to come back, ya? That is just not gonna happen, brudda, you know?"

"If you want everything," Lulu shook her head, "you'll end up with nothing."

Yet Tidus was having none of it. "But I  _want_  everything!"

"Now you're being childish!" Wakka's frustration was bubbling over. It was so much easier to just push on. To walk a single line and not think about anything else. It was so much harder, and hurt so much more, to think that—if they'd only consider—there might be another way.

"I give up. So what would an adult do, then?" Tidus huffed. "They know they can just throw away a summoner, then they can do whatever they like! You're right, I might not even have a chance. But no way am I gonna just stand here and let Yuna go!" Yuna had glanced up then, perhaps, truly, for the first time. "And what Auron said about their being a way? I think it's true.

"'You'll think of something?'" Rikku practically begged.

"Yes."

He'd think of something. Somehow, some way, he'd convinced them to put their faith in what he was suggesting. That the circle dragging them, chained, endlessly could be broken. Yuna had found new resolve then, realizing that, perhaps, they were fighting for the wrong thing.

Maybe they didn't have to settle.

Maybe they  _could_  have everything.

"Guys. This is the last time we fight together… okay?"

At first, none of them had known what to make of what he was saying. Was this the last battle, the last of their struggle? Was that what he'd been referring to? Yet, somehow, when Yuna had taken in the cracking expression that he'd been trying desperately to hold together, she'd known that wasn't it.

"What I'm trying to say is…" A deep breath, "after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll… disappear."

"What are you talking about?" Lulu's voice had been short, snappish. Yuna wondered, sometimes, if they'd all experienced the same kind of chilling, heart-stopping realization then. That, somehow, he'd been one-step ahead of them all the time. Leading them on. That, perhaps, that was what he'd been there to do in the first place.

They'd never found his Zanarkand—never found his home, his world. For a while, Yuna had just assumed that, after she was gone, they'd have set out to find it. But sometime between Gagazet and Sin, that notion had become muddled. Because he was connected to their world. His father had been Sin, and the fayth had spoken to him as Yuna had never imagined they'd have spoken to anyone.

And he'd acted like it was nothing unusual. There'd been so many signs, but she'd willfully failed to see any of them. Signs that there was more going on, that, maybe, him showing up in Besaid hadn't been an accident at all.

"I'm saying goodbye!"

No, she didn't want to remember this. She didn't want to be here. It was too hard. She had to forget. If she could only do that, then maybe…

Maybe she could live in peace.

"There is no such thing as a battle without loss." Who was he? She didn't know. The man in the red suit, with the mechanical arm and leg. Like so many others, he'd been in her dreams over and over and over again, for months. Longer even—since they'd defeated Sin. "It's incarnate in the definition. If there was no threat of loss, then there'd be no battle to fight. To walk into conflict demanding everything…" He was shaking his head, Yuna knowing despite how she refused to look up. Despite how she crouched down in the middle of the glowing platform, Vegnagun hovering beyond. "That's a suicide mission.

"Your guardian knew that well enough."

"No! That's wrong!" Yuna was unwilling to accept it. She wouldn't have it. Even if that meant having nothing at all.

"We all end up with nothing eventually." A softer voice. One that belonged to the pearly-haired man. She'd known he was there too, like all the others. Like they always were. "I don't want to fight either. I don't want to see the pain, and the suffering. Why can't we simply live in a world without such things? Why can we not… simply exist?

"But I know where that path leads. I've seen it. The consequences of turning away. History tells us as much, that turned backs are the most vulnerable. We'll  _burn_  for it."

"No, that can't be!" Yuna was shaking her head, unable to drown out their voices despite how she covered her ears. "That can't be right!"

"There's no right or wrong about it." The seemingly easy-going words of the Al Bhed man. "That's human nature. You decide to fight and you lose. You refuse and you get a dagger in your back. Peace… Even if it lasts millennium, it'll never last forever. People die no matter what we do to try and stop it; kingdoms fall at the hands of their own undoing. The road to hell is always paved with the best intentions.

"And intentions… They're nothing more than wishful thinking. Attempts to stop the evil before it exists. Worse, perhaps, than facing the threat when it truly comes. More often than not, when we try to predict the worst, that's what makes it come true. A self-fulfilling prophecy."

"I have no intentions!" Yuna claimed. "I didn't ask for this! I just… I just wanted to be allowed to live in peace with the people I love…"

"This is life, Yuna." She'd never met this woman—in all her black leather and silver-gray hair—but she'd come to Yuna in dreams. Just as they all had. Figments of her imagination? Perhaps. "This is your life. There's no such thing as living in peace. And those that strive for that ideal will be forever disappointed. You have responsibilities—to the people depending on you and the rest of the world."

"I didn't ask for them!" She shouted, finally standing as she faced them, turning around and around, surrounded. "I never wanted any of this!" They tried to say something else, she knew they did, but she wasn't standing for it anymore. Covering her ears yet again, she screamed.

Louder and louder, harsher, until her screams seemed to echo from one side of the chasm to the other. Until it was doubled by the screams of others, a high-pitched song that she knew was playing even as she pretended it wasn't. They tried to break in, they tried to get to her, but she only screamed louder. She pushed them back.

Until, finally, she was the only one screaming once again.

Alone.

Gasping, Yuna felt her eyes bulge as her lashes fluttered open. The stinging brightness of the day struck across her vision rather violently and she cringed while trying to sit up, but as she did, her whole body seemed to turn on itself. Her arms were shaking and sweat soaked through her clothes and screened her face. Despite how she tried to blink the fogginess away, it remained, the landscape of choppy rocks and thin trees seeming to sway and blur.

Despite her attempts, she ended up laying back once again, closing her eyes in an attempt to quell the nausea that was trying to tip her on her side. It'd been a few days, she thought, since she'd left her friends behind. And all the while, she'd been feeling worse and worse. She'd managed to make her way through the thickest parts of the forest, until she'd been climbing along the gravelly meanderings leading up into the colder parts of the cliffs. She was nowhere near the peaks, which weren't even visible inside the cloud cover, and she wonder, fleetingly, what she was even trying to do.

She was never going to find Leviathan. At this rate, she was going to die—either of starvation or sickness.

Trying to sit up again, she found some leverage on a boulder beside which she must have collapsed the night before. She didn't remember doing so. The last thing that came to mind was the sight of the clouds encroaching on the stars. That, and the dream. She was beginning to feel that her dreams were becoming clearer than the time she spent awake, searching.

How many times had she had the same dream? Hundreds of time. Every night, she felt like, since they'd defeated Sin. Even if she was only then beginning to remember everything with stark clarity, she knew these visions were familiar.

This other Yuna, this woman who lived life with the intention of getting it her way, and demanding that it be so. That up and took adventure when she wanted it, searching for something and always managing to find it. Even when the way in which it was earned had no clear connection, no real substance. But that was the luxury of dreams, wasn't it? That the happy ending always came, no matter how impossible or unexplained.

Yet, gradually, other facets had begun to encroach upon her reveries. Controversy where she didn't want it, people that she didn't know. Voices that she'd never heard. Always she'd fought against it, or so had the Yuna in her head. The Yuna she'd wanted to be, maybe. Who could solve problems with something as simple as a song and get back what she'd lost without fearing the loss of something else.

Even she'd begun to lose, however. The happy endings stopped coming before she awoke, and those in her dreams had begun to question what they'd once silently listened to and abided by. Her recent experiences were beginning to encroach and sometimes there were so many voices that she could no longer drown them out.

It occurred to her, as she tried to lift herself into standing and failed, yet again, that someone—something—was trying to get her a message. It didn't come as a great shock, or some awe-inspiring revelation. Rather, as she leaned her throbbing head against the stone, she realized it was more as though she was merely accepting something she'd already known.

Something she hadn't wanted to deal with before.

Because she knew that the only things capable of communicating with her in such a fashion were fayth. When she'd first arrived in Zanarkand, the fayth had said they'd been trying to contact her, but she hadn't realized then that the reason she hadn't heard their calls was because she hadn't wanted to.

It'd been so hard, when she'd had to give them up. She'd never wanted to feel that way again, and so had rejected them in her own hurt and confusion. But now… now, as she reflected back, she began to realize that perhaps doing such had been a grave mistake—even if she'd been unconscious of it. If she'd been open, if she'd listened, then maybe Tidus wouldn't have become Leviathan. Maybe they could have dealt with this whole situation before it'd gotten as bad as it had.

Part of her kept trying to argue that it wasn't her responsibility, that she'd done her part, but more and more—as her head grew heavier and her body echoed of chills—she was wondering if perhaps that, too, was a lie. Maybe it wasn't her responsibility, but if she couldn't help, then who else would? Who else could the fayth contact? Other summoners, perhaps, but none of them knew what she did. None of them knew the truth about Sin, or the dream.

She could hear their screams echoing in her head now, their desperation to be heard. They weren't screams in the traditional sense, not as she herself would scream. But she could feel it—like nails scratching down the side of her skull. She didn't know how many there were, or why they were tied and trapped, forced into literal silence despite how she registered their resistance.

As she'd already predicted, someone, or something, was holding them prisoner. Forcing them to dream.

But how was she even supposed to help? She wasn't a summoner anymore. She couldn't even help Tidus. Or maybe that, too, was simply an excuse she fed herself. To keep the world shut out, and her heart safe from the agony it'd already been dealt.

That woman, that forest spirit, had said she'd blinded herself. That she couldn't help Tidus unless she helped herself first. Was this what she'd meant? But, even so, even if she came to realize her own cripple, how could that possibly lead her to Leviathan?

It didn't make any sense.

Head still leaning against the stone, she closed her eyes. Maybe she was feeling her own willing defeat, or simply wallowing in the pain and agony she'd tried so long to turn against. There were tears—she made no attempts to quell them. She couldn't bring herself to care anymore. Lulu had always said she was strong, that it was what allowed her to keep going. But she didn't want to be strong. She just wanted to be at peace.

But peace didn't come the way her dream self wanted. It didn't come from stubborn belief that if she wanted something bad enough, she could get it. She had to pay for it. Desires weren't handed over on silver platters; that simply wasn't the way the world worked.

Maybe she had to pay more than others, or maybe she just wanted more than what most were willing to ask.

And perhaps, because she wanted more, she was expected to fight harder.

It didn't seem like much, to want to be allowed to simply be with the man she loved. But her whole life had always been tied up in something bigger than herself, and maybe his had too. Baggage, perhaps, that neither of them wanted, but was strapped to their very existence.

Maybe there was no gain unless she accepted that it could end as horribly as it had before. But that begged the question of whether she was willing to put herself, put both of them, through that agony.

" _If I could have one day, I'd take it._ "

Those had been Lulu's words. And Yuna had thought she'd been taking her day. But maybe, really, all she'd been doing was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Standing back and playing nice, and acting when life or death were the only options. Yet, that wasn't living, not really. Sin had taught them that there was only one extreme or the other, but what she wanted was something no one on Spira—on her Spira—had ever had. It was something they'd all dreamed of, but never experienced. A life without worry, without care, where they were simply allowed to be what and with whomever they wanted.

But if that fight wasn't over, then that reality didn't exist. And perhaps, now, Yuna had to decide whether she wanted to keep fighting or give up.

She'd seen what the result was if she did. If she plugged her ears, closed her eyes, and ignored it all. She'd end up alone. The only safety in that was  _knowing_  she'd be alone.

If she took a chance, if she really tried, then all that fighting could be for nothing. And that terrified her. That, perhaps, they'd find a way to fix everything, only to have the rug ripped out from under them once again—have her heart torn from her chest as it had been before.

Being alone was easier. It was safer. And she already knew the guarantees. But she knew that wasn't what she really wanted, even if her fears tried to persuade her otherwise. She wanted things to be the way they had been before. No, the pilgrimage hadn't been easy, but it'd been direct. She'd known what she was after and thought she'd been certain on how to get there. And even though the nights had sometimes been cold, or wet, or without cover, he'd been there. He'd been around to make her laugh, to comfort her when she was down (even though she'd tried to hide it), and fight for her when she hadn't known how.

But that world was gone—she'd set out to make it so. And there was no going back. She was different now, and so was he. That old world no longer had any answers. There was no path upon which they were being baited, no road to follow. Yuna would never forget how helpless and ignorant she'd felt when they'd deviated from the Final Summoning. When they'd decided to hatch their own plan and do things their way.

 _His_  way.

She'd never come back from that. The world was new and she was just as ignorant. There was nothing to fall back on, nothing to guide them. Like walking around on a cliff edge with a blindfold, every step they took could be the wrong one.

Could lead them down a road they'd never come back from.

No, they were already there. The farplane was unbalanced and it'd probably continue to leak into the real world if left alone. Maybe it'd take millennia, but eventually there'd be too many souls. And Tidus—there was no going back for him now. He had the scars enough to prove that. If she abandoned him, if she turned away, then he was left at the mercy of forces none of them could understand.

No, she couldn't leave him.

She couldn't be like this anymore.

How had she become so selfish? There'd been a time, once, when she'd have given up her life to save a single soul. But maybe it was easier to give up one's life than it was to live on in the wake of death. Perhaps Yunalesca, and Seymour, had been right in claiming that death was an easy escape. Because living in a world ravaged by sorrow was so much harder.

But she knew it was worth it. She couldn't continue to allow her fears to control her. Lulu, the woman in the woods—they'd been right. It was better to live, even for a short while, with what you could have than die and have nothing. Perhaps some things were worth dying for, but there was  _always_  something worth living for.

She would live. She'd  _decided_  to live. She wasn't going to be afraid anymore. She wasn't going to allow the past to decide her future. The past should be learned from, and memories were nice, but, in the end, they were made up of nothing substantial. She'd never have her old life back and wishing she would served no purpose.

No longer would she be idle. No longer would she demand that which couldn't be.

The world was a harsh place, and it could change, but only if someone started that change. She'd wanted to, once. She had. And so she'd do so again.

Maybe she would lose friends along the way, but she'd never lose herself.

Never again.

Forcing her eyes open once again, despite their heaviness, she gripped steadily at the rock before finally managing to pull herself into standing. Her legs shook and her vision blurred, but she pushed her way through it. She'd been through worse, and she had a job to do.

She had to find Leviathan.

She had to find  _Tidus_.

Because the two weren't separate things. She'd tried to divide them, to find in him his "humanity," or, rather, what she'd remembered of who'd he'd once been. Leviathan, however, was merely a manifestation of what he already was, just as all aeons were. There was no monster or human division—nothing was ever that clear cut. He would never be the Tidus she remembered, not totally, but so she would never be who she'd once been either. Change was inevitable, and fighting that change instead of working with it would get them nowhere.

Leviathan wasn't evil, wasn't dark or dangerous. Not with intent. Aeons couldn't think that critically—they were merely emotions incarnate. Human souls turned inside out, that was all. And rejecting them, favoring one part of who they were over another, wouldn't allow Yuna to ease their mind and calm their insanity. One didn't get to pick and choose the parts of a person they wanted and those which they didn't. Tidus had taken on this burden, just as she had when she'd become a summoner. And so she'd accept that, even if she wished he hadn't—even if she wished things could be different.

This was their reality. It was what they had. Maybe it wasn't much, and maybe a lot of it was broken, but it was theirs. Leviathan, Tidus, whoever or whatever he was, she would support him. Just as he'd done for her.

She'd accept him, no matter the cost.

She wouldn't say it was a realization that brought her to her solution. It'd been more like the last step—the last door she'd had to open before finally reaching her destination.

Lenne had said that when a summoner succeeded in calling their aeon, it was because they'd managed to take the soul of another into their own body and warp the physical left behind. They weren't separating one body, but combining their own with the essence of someone else. Yuna saw that now. And just as the fayth had left some of themselves behind inside of her, so too had Tidus the one time she'd succeeded in guarding his soul.

That was why she was sick. Why it'd become harder to keep going. It was difficult for him too, and his soul, the imprint of it that was left inside her—that connected them to one another—was screaming to be heard, was shaking the bars and begging for her to listen.

Now she could hear him.

Now she could call him back.

It hadn't been necessary for her to search the mountainside in order to find him—he'd been with her the whole time. Always, just as he'd promised.

Without her pushing him away, she could feel that familiar weight. The nausea began to dissipate into something warmer. Something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in over a year. But even though it was familiar, it was also different. Because this was  _Tidus_. She wasn't simply a filter for his soul to pass through as she had been for other aeons, but that which was supposed to protect it entirely. An intimacy she'd been too afraid to acknowledge before.

She smiled, just barely. Sitting back on the rock, she allowed the final wisps of sickness to leave her. Eyes closed and back straight, she waited. And the closer she knew he was, the stronger she felt.

Time was no object. When the sun set, she paid it no mind. She felt no exhaustion, and was able to remain still and focused even as evening darkened the sky. The glow of the stars, the stark trees, and the choppy landscape kept her company. Until, the air around her seeming to ignite and spark, his giant, dark shadow descended into the clearing.

There was no aggression in his posture, his neck curling as his big blue eyes blinked. They were feral, slitted, but not volatile. Not fueled by fear, as they had been before. The constant weaving of his body was calm, though he didn't approach. He didn't flinch away when she stood.

Lips pursed, Yuna stared evenly back at him for some moments, heart beating hard as the words she knew she needed to speak pushed their way up her throat—like heavy bricks.

"I'm sorry." So simple, and meaningless if used improperly. But Yuna meant those words then, more than she ever had before.

She didn't have to say why. She didn't have to explain away her behavior. He knew. He'd been trying to get to her just as well as the fayth had been. No, they couldn't read each other's minds, but if they wanted to, if they looked close enough, then there was understanding between them. A stronger link than any they'd ever had with anyone else.

Leviathan growled softly, a growl that became a soft purr. Gulping—more so out of guilt than nervousness—Yuna walked toward him. He didn't shy, didn't hesitate. He simply stood. A pillar of strength that, when she could protect him too, was mightier than they'd ever been apart.

Without pause, Yuna reached out to him. She cradled his scaled head in her hands, pulling him toward her until she was resting her forehead against is own, burningly cold as it was. His purring increased, his nose nearly brushing the ground. He was monstrous—teeth the size of her arms, body as wide around as she was tall. But guided and protected and in her secure embrace, he was finally safe from himself.

"I'm sorry," she said again, only momentarily aware of the tears that were once again streaking down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry I left you."

Holding him tighter, she allowed his power to course through her, back and forth between them. And as before, she pulled him into her—all of him. She wrapped him in a soft, protective embrace, shielding that which was most delicate from the outside world.

To someone who didn't understand, it wouldn't be simple. But to Yuna, no longer weighed down by her own doubts, it was merely a matter of belief. Belief that became action. Glowing, Leviathan's body began to shatter, breaking into pieces as pyreflies shifted and surrounded them. As though a balloon popped with a needle, the shimmering paused for only a moment before bursting forth. And, left in its wake, was a man—soulless for only a moment before Yuna unleashed the wrapping that had held his body and spirit separated.

She didn't hear the singing, or see the way the sky ignited. All she knew was blue blinking back at her—calm and unwavering.

"I'll never leave you again," she promised. "I'll be with you.

" _Always_."

**oOo**

He was uneasy. Which made Rikku uneasy. Biting the inside of her cheek, she finally gave in to her anxious fidgeting and stood. Wakka, Lulu, and Chappu watched her for only a moment from where they were sitting at the small card table, their game only pausing for a moment before they continued. The whole room—gracious and grand—was dampened with their waiting silence. A gold-trimmed grandfather clock ticked in the corner, and as Rikku headed across the burgundy rug toward the tall windows, she had to pass directly under a large, overly zealous crystal chandelier.

Auron was leaning against the window trim, arms crossed as he stared out at the city. Rikku came up beside him, taking in the scene as well. It was impressive, no doubt about that, and they had a nice room. Whatever means they had aside, the prime summoners had put them up in a penthouse apartment near the center of the city. It was high enough that they could see the ocean, all lit up with lanterns strung across the dragon-wing sails of small boats. They shifted in the waves even as the night grew deeper, people and human-powered carts railing and running on in the stone streets below. Rounded lanterns of all colors hung from windows and the corners of roofs, sparkling into the distance. A truly magnificent sight, especially with the lights that were strung across the great stone arcs over their heads, somehow managing to accent the stars instead of drown them out.

A pretty picture. Too pretty, perhaps.

"I can tell something's bothering you," Rikku muttered after a moment, eyes going to Auron almost hesitantly. "You're doing that brooding, contemplating, silent thoughtfulness thing that you do when you're not happy about something." He "hmphed," but said nothing. "C'mon. If you're bothered, then we're all bothered."

"Are you really so dependent that you can't even function properly unless I approve?"

"You know that's not what I meant." She stuck out her tongue. "I don't like being here either, but… you're better at this kind of stuff than me. So, what is it?" She wanted to know. She wanted to be prepared.

He didn't answer right away, instead looking once more to the city as he considered what to say. "We're not what they want," he finally said, Rikku listening in all seriousness. Sure, she could be a goof a lot of the time, but she knew when it was okay to act out and when it wasn't.

"They want Yunie, right?"

"Yes." He nodded once. "And we're bait to bring her here."

"Bait?" Rikku hadn't meant to sound skeptical. But bait implied imprisonment, and she wasn't too apt to give into such a notion all that easily. "But they left us armed, and this place isn't exactly cell block number thirteen."

"They're playing nice," he continued. "The question is, for how long."

"But we could leave if we wanted to."

"And go where? We were escorted into the city, taken by cart. Not even I could keep track of the streets we took. And even if we were to leave, to head in the direction of the plains, they'd find us and bring us back before we could make it out. Dreams or not, at odds with them or not, I'm sure there are eyes all over this city." As if to make a point, Auron glanced back, his gaze landing first on Chappu, who was looking bored at the table, before going then to Lenne, who was sitting on a windowsill on the other side of the room, her head against the glass as she watched the city as well.

Rikku pursed her lips. "You're kind of paranoid."

The look she got in return was so scathing she almost shied away. "Well, excuse me," he said quite coldly, the sharpness in his tone near good enough to cut her skin.

"I'm not saying you're wrong," Rikku tried to amend, her voice quiet. "I'm just sayin' you don't need to be suspicious of everyone in the  _room_ , okay?" She could see his logic, but that didn't make Lenne and Chappu suspects. And even if it did, why did it matter? Not like they were planning to make an escape in the next five minutes.

"Some of us prefer to be prepared for anything."

"I like to be prepared too," she countered. "Hence," she gestured toward him, "I'm talking to you." Still, they kept their voices down. The room was large enough that the others couldn't hear. "I, however, also value others feelings toward me. Personally, I like it when they're of the warm, fuzzy nature, not the cold, prickly kind."

"Being friends with everyone isn't going to save you when they betray you."

"Um, wow, jaded much?" She scoffed. "And that really does go to show what you don't know anything about diplomacy." He was giving her the unimpressed, judgmental, "I don't think you know what you're talking about" look, but she having none of it. "My dad's leader of the Al Bhed, you know, so I've seen this stuff. And acting like an adamantoise with a burr under his shell isn't exactly the best way to preserve good public relations." Leaving it at that, she turned back to the window, satisfied she'd made her point.

Auron stared at her a moment longer, as if considering what she'd said, before quietly "hmphing" once again and returning his attention to the window.

"Why  _are_  you so jaded anyway?" she started a moment later. "I mean, I get the whole Yevon is a lie, Sin is a lie, people always lie thing, but, I mean, I knew that already and I turned out just fine."

"I thought you were claiming to be good with people?"

"I'm asking, aren't I?" She raised her eyebrows hopefully, smiling some. "That's what concerned friends do, right?"

He scoffed. Then, taking a deep breath, he actually started to explain. "There's a difference between betrayal and common knowledge. Maybe these things were always clear to you, but some of us had to learn the hard way.  _That_  is the difference."

"Hmm, yeah. I guess I kind of knew that." She was cocking her head in a rather exaggerated manner, smiling wide.

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Just wanted to hear you say it." He was clearly not impressed with her reasoning. "Oh c'mon, don't you see what I did there?" Leaning over, she tapped him on the shoulder. "Got you to tell me things you wouldn't normally, and all without being a total grouch about it. Diplomacy."

Always with the derisive snorting. "While you may congratulate yourself on your supposed victory, you should know that I was in no way fooled."

"Oh, I know that too." She rocked back on her heels. "But see, thing is," she winked, "not everyone's as smart as you and me."

He chuckled, and Rikku silently congratulated herself on  _that_  victory.

"Like I said before," she went on, tapping the side of her head, "not as stupid as I look."

"And as I recall, I made it quite clear that I never thought such things." Pause. "You do make me question whether having any trust in you is really very wise, however. I didn't know you had such a conniving nature."

"Ugh, mean!" she said a little louder than she'd intended, a few in the room looking up only to realize it was one of her typical outbursts. "I'd never lie to you, you know that." He raised his eyebrows. "Or any of our other friends either," she tacked on lastly.

"I don't know," he sighed. "My confidence is shaken." So dry, so straight, but Rikku knew better.

"Now you're just teasing me," she pouted.

"I'd never do such a thing."

"Yeah, okay." She rolled her eyes.

"When I have I ever?"

"Um, try all the time. Like, every day. Like, every time we talk. Don't even- I know-" She squinted, hands going to her hips. "I'm on to you, old man. Your mind games don't work so well as they used to."

"You give me far too much credit. Who's paranoid now?"

"You are, as we've already established."

"I suppose I can't argue that."

Their conversation lulled some then, Rikku crouching down at the base of the window to watch the city for a few moments before continuing.

"Hey, Auron?" He didn't have to respond for her to know he'd heard. "What did you mean earlier, when you said that Spira just keeps going 'round? I mean, I know  _what_  you meant, but what did you _really_  mean?"

She didn't have to question whether he even remembered saying it. She knew he did. Auron didn't bother saying things he wouldn't remember.

"I simply meant what I said."

"Auron." She said his name in a scolding fashion as she looked up at him, frowning some. "I'm not asking you because I need to. I really want to know." Honestly, with no ulterior motive. She wasn't sure why his words had stuck with her, but they had. They'd been knocking around in the back of her head all day.

Despite her friendly nature, his expression never cleared of that blank defensiveness, Rikku's mood sinking all the while.

"Fine," she huffed, when it was clear he wasn't going to respond. "I get it. You don't have to trust me." It was a petty comment and they both knew it, but Rikku didn't care.

"It isn't a matter of trust," he said after a moment, that he'd bothered replying at all snapping Rikku's attention to him. "Sometimes the past is simply too difficult to talk about." And, whether intended or not, his explanation left Rikku in a state of shame. Shoulders dropping, she peered out the window again, trying her best to ignore how her ears burned.

"Trust is a much more complicated concept than many people seem to think." He was continuing, which surprised Rikku further. Staying silent, she listened, even if she didn't look back up at him. "Those who have the most trust may say nothing, while those with the least may say the most. Simple-minded people would never know the difference."

He wasn't implying that she was simple-minded, she knew that. Rather, he was saying the opposite, once again giving her a warning.

"You would also do good to remember that desperation will make even those we think we can trust act in ways we wouldn't expect." He'd shifted, looking back into the room before turning his attention fully on her, pulling her eyes his way. "The dead, Rikku, are  _always_  desperate." She didn't have to look back at Chappu and Lenne to take his meaning. "It's incarnate in walking through death. Only the strongest feelings allow a person to do so, and only relieving that will allow them to rest.

"All dead want to rest, and fulfilling that which will allow them to do so is always at the forefront of their minds."

She dared to ask. She knew she probably shouldn't, but she took the chance anyway. "Is that the way you were?"

Breaking eye contact, he looked to the window again. It took a moment to respond, but he did. "You already know the answer to that question. So long as Yuna journeyed, I didn't care what else happened."

"Yeah, but, you took care of Tidus, and you watched out for all of us. You can't really be saying that, through all of it, you didn't actually care."

His gaze fell to the ground, his eyebrows knitting just slightly. "If caring gets a person where they want to go, then does that mean it was sincere?" He shook his head. "I don't know. Being between life and death is a foggy, imprecise place. Sometimes things are clear, and you know who you were, and other times all you can feel is the regret. Like nausea, pulling your forward even when all you want to do is collapse." His attention flicked up again, looking over the rooftops beyond. "I try not to think about it."

Standing straight again, Rikku bit the inside of her cheek before deciding on what to say. "Hey!" Leaning over, she tapped him on the arm again. "Maybe it  _was_  like that, but it's not anymore. You're you again, huh? Yeah, and you still care, so you must have really cared before."

"Me 'again?'" He snorted. "I suppose."

"Suppose all you want, but  _I_  know." She smiled up at him. "Like I said, I'm good with people." He hardly appeared convinced, but, then again, that was how he always looked, so Rikku didn't place much weight in it. Instead, she distracted herself with the scenery once again.

If Auron had been going to reply, he didn't get the chance. Attention shooting upward, the two were both distracted by the abrupt flash that had surged through the sky. Gaping, Rikku pressed in on the window as they watched, even Auron uncertain what to make of it. They'd never seen anything like it in their lives.

The shining show seemed to have flashed up from the mountains, as that was where the blue and silver lights—mixed with other colors at smaller degrees—seemed to be most concentrated. Like thin waves dancing amongst the heavens, the arms spindled out, their echoes reaching for the sky was they wavered back and forth, twitching sometimes, but igniting the heavens for miles around. The display could probably be seen from Bevelle, as it continued to stretch, seeming to exist just above their heads.

"What… what is that?" Rikku asked, clearly shocked as she gaped.

"That's a Calling," Lenne explained, coming up beside them. She was just as transfixed by the scene as they all were, the other three having come to the glass to see as well.

"What's a 'Calling?'" Auron asked darkly, demanding both Lenne's attention as well as answers. She looked over at him quickly, as though to acknowledge she'd heard him, before looking once more to the sky.

"A Calling is that which occurs when a summoner and partner finally perform a successful Joining," she explained. "When the soul is removed and an aeon is summoned, before that soul is released, once the summoning is dismissed. It's the final right a summoner must go through—is proves that they are successful in taming their aeon, and in keeping the soul of that aeon safe in return. The soul is kept enclosed in either one body or another, but allowed to be free. Tethered, perhaps, and so it sings."

"It sings?" Lulu asked.

"Like the fayth in the temples," Chappu deduced. "When a summoner prays."

Offering no further answers, Lenne walked swiftly along the windows. Until she reached the glass doors that would lead them out onto the balcony. Pushing her way through, she released the seal on the world outside, all of them gaping as the voice hit their ears. Following her example, they went to the edges of the balcony, continuing to watch through wide eyes.

"It sings," Lenne repeated.

The voice wasn't articulate, and it sang no words, but it seeped up from the mountains nonetheless—like the very glow that accompanied it. Each fayth had had it's own unique voice, and this one was no different. Not deep, but male, perhaps, and familiar—if the ghosting echo of a singing fayth could be familiar.

"Then…" Lulu said breathily. "Then she found him."

Yuna had found Leviathan.

**oOo**

He sat straight in the chair, despite how the back leaned, with his fingers twining in his lap. Eyes narrowed, he watched as the sky danced. Watched in silence until, finally, the woman behind him could wait no longer.

"What are we to do, my Lord?"

He didn't answer immediately, as if mulling it over before replying. "Take the boy," he said after a moment, "and go to Bevelle. I will meet you there."

"Are you sure, my Lord?"

"Yes." He finally turned to look at her, expression straight enough that it visually unnerved her. "Don't fail me, Freeya. I expect everything to go according to plan."

"Y-yes, my Lord." She bowed, quickly backing out of the room before closing the doo behind her.

Taking a deep breath, he tapped his fingers in his lap before turning once more to glare up at the heavens.

"I won't be stopped by you," he murmured, "High Summoner, Final Defeater of Sin."


End file.
